The co-founder of the Taliban movement Abdul Ghani Baradar will be the deputy leader and head of the Cabinet of Ministers. The spokesperson clarified that it is an “interim” regime.
The Taliban announced Tuesday that the UN-sanctioned Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund will be the leader of their new government in Afghanistan.
For his part, the co-founder of the Taliban movement, Abdul Ghani Baradar, will be the deputy leader, confirmed the group’s main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, at a press conference.
Also, the spokesperson clarified that the government will have the character of “interim”, since it is not complete, and they will try to include people from other parts of the country.
The Mullah Yaqub, son of the founder of the Taliban and late supreme leader, Mullah Omar, was named defense minister, while the post of Minister of the Interior was awarded to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the feared Haqqani network, which also exercised Taliban second chief. Amir Khan Muttaqi, a Taliban negotiator in Doha and a member of the cabinet of the first regime, was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Since the US-led evacuation was completed in late August, hardline Islamists, who came to power last month, are expected to announce a government. They have promised an “inclusive” training that represents Afghanistan’s complex ethnic makeup, although it is unlikely that women will be included at the higher levels.
In their transition from insurgent group to the ruling power, the Taliban face a number of major problems, including the looming financial and humanitarian crises.
On Tuesday, several towns in Afghanistan saw protests in support of the resistance against the Taliban and to criticize Pakistan’s alleged military support for the Islamist group, which resulted in arrests of protesters and journalists and reports of attacks by insurgents.
At least two eyewitnesses who were part of one of the protests told Efe that the Taliban tried to disperse the demonstration with warning shots. Journalists and attendees also denounced the repression of the demonstrations.
