High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Mullah Obaidullah, the Akhund was the defence minister under the Taliban government in Afghanistan and later became an insurgent commander during the war with the United States and its allies. He was reported captured by Pakistani security forces on March 2, 2007. Obaidullah was born in the Panjwai district of Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. Mullah Obaidullah Akhund was the Defense Minister of Afghanistan, and the second of three top deputies to Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban. He is seen as the "number three" man in the Taliban.[2] In late 2001 or early 2002, Obaidullah surrendered to Northern Alliance troops, but was released as part of an amnesty. He was one of the main military leaders in 2003, and was named to the Mujahideen Shura Council. It is believed that he was one of the Taliban leaders closest to Osama bin Laden. Abdul Latif Hakimi, who was captured by Pakistan in 2005, said that Obaidullah was one of two people with direct access to Mullah Omar, and that Obaidullah had personally ordered insurgent attacks, including the killing of a foreign-aid official in March 2005.