Leadership Council of Afghanistan

The Leadership Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is an advisory council to the supreme leader of Afghanistan and a central Taliban leadership body that has been maintained continuously since the movement formed its first government in 1996. It is empowered to appoint the supreme leader in the event of a vacancy. The supreme leader has ultimate authority and may override or circumvent the council at any time, convening it as often as he desires. It is one of many support organizations that surround the supreme leader in Kandahar, which together with the supreme leader are called the Leadership of the Islamic Emirate. The way it has been used has varied over time with changing circumstances. It played a key role in directing the Taliban insurgency from Quetta, Pakistan, which led to it being informally referred to as the Quetta Shura at the time.

During the Taliban insurgency, a consensus-based decision model was used among members of the Quetta Shura. After the 2021 return to power of the Taliban, Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada centralized power and began to communicate mostly through his three deputies. In March 2023, Oxford Analytica reported that he had not convened the Leadership Council for several months, instead consulting the local Kandahar provincial council of clerics for advice.