Abdul Ghani Baradar vs Walid Muallem

Abdul Ghani Baradar co-founded the Taliban movement alongside Mullah Omar in Kandahar. He played a key role in organizing the group's early military campaigns and establishing its ideological framework, becoming a top military commander.

Abdul Ghani Baradar was captured in a joint US-Pakistan intelligence operation in Karachi, Pakistan, in February 2010. His arrest was a major blow to the Taliban's leadership and disrupted their command structure during the war.

Abdul Ghani Baradar was released from Pakistani custody in October 2018 at the request of the US. His release was part of efforts to facilitate peace negotiations between the Taliban and the US, leading to the Doha Agreement.

Abdul Ghani Baradar signed the Doha Agreement on behalf of the Taliban in February 2020. The agreement outlined the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in exchange for Taliban security guarantees, paving the way for the Taliban's return to power.

Abdul Ghani Baradar was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan in September 2021. He became a key figure in the new administration, overseeing economic and political affairs.

Walid Muallem was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs of Syria on February 11, 2006, replacing Farouk al-Sharaa. He served in this role until his death in 2020, making him one of the longest-serving foreign ministers in the region. He was a key figure in Syrian diplomacy, particularly regarding Lebanon and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Muallem served as the chief diplomat for the Syrian government throughout the Syrian Civil War, which began in 2011. He defended the Assad regime's actions at the United Nations and in international forums, denying allegations of war crimes and chemical weapons use. He was sanctioned by the US and EU for his role.

In September 2013, following a chemical weapons attack in Ghouta, Muallem played a key role in negotiating Syria's accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention. The agreement, brokered with Russia and the US, led to the destruction of Syria's declared chemical weapons stockpile, though allegations of continued use persisted.