Mullah

Mullah

Mullah is generally used to refer to a Muslim man, educated in Islamic theology and sacred law. The title, given to some Islamic clergy, is derived from the Arabic word مَوْلَى mawlā , meaning "vicar", "master" and "guardian"...

 Abdul Latif Hakimi, also known as Latif Hakimi or Hakim Latifi, was a purported spokesman

Spokesman

A spokesperson or spokesman or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have received formal training in journalism, communications, public relations and...

 for the Taliban in Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

.

Hakimi first claimed a suicide bombing on 28 January 2004, that killed a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 soldier in Kabul

Kabul

Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...

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In June 2005, he confirmed that a helicopter had been shot down by insurgent fire during Operation Red Wing

Operation Red Wing

Operation Red Wings was a failed counter-insurgent mission in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, involving four members of the United States Navy SEALs, which took place on June 28, 2005....

, killing all 16 U.S. Naval special operators aboard, representing the largest loss of life in the Invasion for the Coalition forces at that time.

On 4 October 2005, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

 said it had arrested Hakimi in the eastern Balochistan

Balochistan (Pakistan)

Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...

 province. After Hakimi's capture, Qari Mohammad Yousuf

Qari Mohammad Yousuf

Qari Mohammad Yousef Ahmadi is one of the two Taliban spokesmen, the other being Zabiullah Mujahid. In 2006, Ahmadi contacted Reuters, the Associated Press, Canadian Press and Afghan Islamic Press by satellite phone to offer Taliban messages regarding southern Afghanistan.In August 2008, his name...

 represented the Taliban, along with Muhammad Hanif

Muhammad Hanif

Muhammad Hanif was an Afghan who served as a spokesman for Taliban, particularly in eastern Afghanistan, prior to his capture in Nangarhar Province on 17 January 2007. The BBC reported the following information at the time. Hanif and Qari Mohammad Yousuf were appointed in October 2005 after the...

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Hakimi was released on 18 March 2007 along with four other Taliban prisoners in exchange for the release of kidnapped Italian reporter Daniele Mastrogiacomo

Daniele Mastrogiacomo

Daniele Mastrogiacomo is an Italian-Swiss journalist and a war correspondent for la Repubblica newspaper....

. Daniele was freed a day later but Daniele's driver Sayed Agha was beheaded days before after the Taliban claimed he was a spy. Daniele's translator Adjmal Naqshbandi was beheaded on 8 April 2007.