2. Previous Functions:
Former personal secretary and spokesman Mullah Omar (1998)
Government Official during Taliban Regime in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Head of Taliban Office in Qatar (2009, 2014, 2015 resigend 20150803)

3. Biodata:

Syed Agha Tayyab was born 1976 in Kanadahar City and belongs to a prominent religious family from the Sayed (Sadaat) tribe, from Jelahor (aka Jelawur) village of Kandahar’s Arghandab district.  His father, Mawlawi Sayed Muhammad known as (Malawi Sadozai Agha), was one of Kandahar’s leading ulema, with a large religious following and a network of madrassas. During the early eighties he led religious ulama in the name of Daayoon Ittihad (preachers for the unity), and after almost two years efforts he succeeded to bring all the Jihadist leaders (including Rabbani and Hikmatyar) under one leadership for Jihad against Russian occupation in the JAMIA AHRAFIA in Peshawar. During the nineties and the current insurgency, Sadozai held a leading position of the Taliban’s ulema shura, providing edicts and rulings on Taliban affairs.
 

But the family’s biggest claim to fame was Agha’s older brother, Sayed Muhammad Eshaq known as (Lala Malang). In the mid-eighties, Lala Malang was the preeminent mujahedeen commander in Kandahar, the Soviet’s biggest foe. Lala Malang one of the early incubators of Taliban-type movements. He led a large ‘Taliban front,’ or mujahedin group consisting entirely of religious students,. In 1984 he was captured and detained by the Russians and, in a highly publicized move, exchanged for a Soviet soldier two years later. But Lala Malang’s time was short—he was killed in barrage of 122 mm Howitzer shells during a Soviet sweep of Arghandab in the summer of 1987.
 

In 1998 Agha became Mullah Omar’s secretary and spokesman.
 

In 2009 with the appointment of Tayeb Agha as chief of Political Office of Taliban for the first time after the invasion of foreigners, Taliban appeared as an independent political movement, resumed direct talks with US and made journeys on international level, they openly participated in conferences and meetings in France and Japan etc.

On (08/03/2015) Syed Mohammad Tayeb Agha quitted his position as the Chief Political office of the Taliban. He said in a statement of resignation that the concealment of the death of Mullah Mohammad Omar, and the selection of a new leader by the Afghans out of the country were two historic mistakes. But he explained that as an Afghan citizen and a colleague of mullah Muhammad Omar will continue his efforts for the nation's independence peace and the support of his Taliban brothers. (20150906)

More Background:
Mullah Mohammad Syed Tayyab Agha Popolzai Tayyeb Agha was born 1976 in Jelahor (a.k.a. Jelawur) village of Kandahar’s Arghandab district. His father, Mawlawi Sadozai Sahib, was one of Kandahar’s leading ulema, with a large religious following and a network of madrassas, who at one point even provided instruction to a young Mulla Omar. Tayeb received his primary education in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, before joining a seminary.

A second version of his background: Tayyeb Agha is a young educated son of Mawlawi Abdullah Zakeri, chairman of the Afghan Ulema Council in Peshawer established pre-Taleban who visited Kabul during the 1990s, advised the mujahedin leadership and Rabbani and later the Taleban and that he is from the Tsinzai, a subtribe of the Hotak. It is not the first case that there are different versions, not least to exactly achieve this: to blur the background and make access more difficult.

During the nineties and the current insurgency, Sadozai held a leading position of the Taleban’s ulema shura, providing edicts and rulings on Taliban affairs. Agha’s maternal grandfather was Mawlawi Abdul Qayum, another of Kandahar’s leading religious authorities.

But the family’s biggest claim to fame was Agha’s older brother, Lala Malang. In the mid-eighties, Lala Malang was the preeminent mujahideen commander in Kandahar, the Soviet’s biggest foe. Malang had studied at the Nur-ul Madaris under Nasrullah Mansur in Ghazni, one of the early incubators of Taliban-type movements. He led a large ‘taliban front,’ or mujaheddin group consisting entirely of religious students, in the Arghandab and Panjwayi areas, quickly earning renown as one of the most effective and popular commanders.

Tayyeb Agha had been too young to fight during most of the jihad. Towards the end of the eighties he moved to Quetta for studies, where he learned English and Arabic. His language abilities and his family history allowed him to rapidly climb the ranks of the nascent Taliban movement. As so few Talib's could speak a foreign language other than Urdu, Agha was enlisted into service as Mullah Omar’s press secretary and translator, which was useful particularly in meetings with Arabs. He also worked as a translator in various ministries in Kabul. Eventually, he grew to become Mullah Omar’s personal secretary.

During US invasion and bombing campaign, Agha was one of the few Taliban leaders who maintained contact with Mullah Omar as he fled like a fugitive through the outskirts of Kandahar city. It was during these tense days that the two grew very close and Omar began to trust Agha with his life.

Besides working as a Mullah Omar's chief of staff, Tayyab Agha has served in several other positions in the Taliban administration. According to Afghan journalist Sami Yusufzai, he was an official in the foreign ministry and at the Taliban's embassy in Islamabad.

The former Taliban’s top spokesman in November 2001 vowed that the Taliban would not be defeated. They had made a “strategic retreat” from the north, he said, in order to gather forces to defend their remaining territory—the southern Pashtun provinces of Helmand, Ghazi, Kandahar, Uruzgan and Zabul—and they would defend their heartland to the death. He said the Taliban had no regrets for inviting Osama bin Laden into the country—”he shed blood in our struggle” against the Soviet Union—but insisted that the Al Qaeda leader was “probably not” in areas now under Taliban control. To prove that the city of Kandahar was still firmly under Taliban rule, Tayyab Agha promised that the leaders would soon organize an escorted trip into the city.

Later Agha engaged in fundraising activities of the insurgency, traveling frequently to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. At the same time, he has been centrally involved in political tasks, including frequent travel (such as to Mecca in 2008) for talks about talks. He has clearly articulated the Taliban’s position on talks - they should be directly with the U.S.

Tayeb is said to be close aide of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, was arrested in Karachi 20100227. He now seems to be a propaganda tool from the US or Pakistan in the ongoing infowar to weaken the Taliban and to have some influence on the lower Taliban ranks.

Tayyab Agha is a man said to be the direct representative of Taliban leader Mullah Omar in a report by German newsmagazine "Der Spiegel" that describes recent negotiations in Germany between Agha and U.S. diplomats. So far the Taliban leadership has made no statements about Agha's role or his mandate as a negotiator. And this, along with the fact that Mullah Omar himself remains a fugitive, raises questions about his credibility as a representative. Asked about Agha's role in the current Afghan Taliban organization thought to be based in Quetta, Pakistan, Afghan journalist Sami Yusufzai says: "I don't think that he has any major role in the Quetta Shura Taliban. His name does not come up when people talk about the mainstream Taliban council, but he does seem to have some role in the Taliban's political wing, which they established recently." Afghan analyst Waheed Muzhdah says that even if the man is the real Tayyab Agha, his credibility as a negotiator will be undermined by the Taliban's refusal to publicly acknowledge his role. So far, says Muzdah, the Taliban refuses to endorse such talks.(20110500)

The unanswered question is how much of the Quetta Shura leadership Tayyab Agha can deliver to a negotiating table. Still being in contact with Mullah Omar is not the same as speaking for him. "It's still not clear that this is the route," a European official said.(20110620). The family of Tayyab Agha is still living in Pakistan and may be a "hostage" to prevent Tayyab Agha to act against Pakistan's plans for future Afghanistan.(20110720)

Tayyab Agha mediating with the Americans has reportedly gone missing, frustrating US attempts to hold another round of talks to settle the negotiating parameters for the decade-old conflict in Afghanistan, officials have said.(20110808) An Afghan leader familiar with the negotiation process said that the US has made frantic efforts to contact Agha for further talks, but there has been no success so far. "Agha has not yet been traced and is believed to have gone either to Qatar or the United Arab Emirates," he added. The same source said that Agha was annoyed at the disclosure of the secret talks to the media by Karzai and Gates, as the negotiators reportedly want to keep the matter secret.

Taliban Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the person named Tayeb Agha, who held talks with American delegation, made fool of the United States as the person who fooled NATO in the names of Taliban leader earlier.(20110822) Ataullah Lodin (High Peace Council Vice Chairman) said, that some former Taliban leaders including Abbas Stanikzai, Shahabuddin Delawari and Sayed Taib Agha have gone from Kabul to Qatar with their families.(20120102). The government of Qatar has agreed to financially support the Ex-Taliban leaders and their families.
 

Akbar Agha is a cousin of Taliban top negotiator Tayyab Agha and veteran commander. He sometimes gives statements to the media concerning the Taliban-U.S. talks in Doha, Qatar. (20120425)

The Taliban are contemplating removing Tayyab Aga — special assistant to Omar during the Taliban's rule — as their lead negotiator because he could not achieve the expected results. Mullah Abbas Akhund, the Taliban's former health minister, is being tapped as Aga's replacement. The root of this rumor is the Karzai Administration.  (20130318)

A delegation which consisted of members of Taliban’s political mission in Qatar and was headed by Tayyeb Aqa held talks with the security officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Tehran, bypassing the Karzai Government. (20130601) The other members of the delegation were Maulvi Shahab-ud-Din Dilawar, Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanakzai and Qari Din Muhammad. (20130607)
 

Pakistani authorities in Quetta have released two brothers of Tayyeb Agha,  head of Taliban’s political office in Qatar. His brothers Younas and Tahir had been picked up in Karachi and Quetta on May 1, 2014.Younas Agha, who had at one point served as the deputy governor of Khost province during the Taliban regime, was arrested from Karachi, where he was accompanying his ailing father. Tahir Agha, another brother of Tayyeb, was picked up from his residence in Quetta. Tayyeb’s brothers were picked up after “their contacts with an Afghan government official.” (20141004)
 

Mullah Mohammad Syed Tayyab Agha has reportedly resigned from his position as Taliban group’s head of the political office in Qatar.

Accordig to the members of Taliban’s political commission in Qatar Tayyab Agha resigned on Monday, 03. June 2015.

Tayyab Agha is fluent in English, Arabic, Dari, Pashtu, Urdu and comfortable on a computer.