Taliban has announced Mullah Hassan Akhund as the new leader of the government to be formed in Afghanistan.
New Delhi: The Taliban have announced that Mullah Hasan Akhund will be the new head of government to be formed in Afghanistan. AFP reported that the Taliban spokesman made the announcement Tuesday evening.
Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar, who had held talks with the United States and signed the agreement that led to the final US withdrawal from Afghanistan, will be one of Akhund’s two MPs in the new Taliban regime.
Mullah Abdus Salam is another Akhund deputy.
According to the spokesperson for the Taliban government, this new government is only an “interim” government.
Other key ministers in the Taliban interim government
Zabihullah Mujahid has been appointed deputy minister of information and culture, while Mullah Tajmir Javad will be the first deputy of the intelligence department.
Mullah Rahmatullah Najeeb is the administrative assistant of the intelligence department.
Mullah Abdulhaq Akhund is the deputy interior minister responsible for the fight against narcotics.
Acting Minister of Refugees: Khalilurahman Haqqani
Acting Director of Intelligence: Abdul Haq Wasiq
Acting Director of the Central Bank: Haji Mohammad Idris
Acting Director of the Administrative Office of the President: Ahmad Jan Ahmady
Acting Minister of Water and Energy: Mullah Abdul Latif Mansoor
Acting Minister of Civil Aviation and Transport: Mullah Hamidullah Akhundzada
Acting Minister of Higher Education: Abdul Baqi Haqqani
Acting Minister of Telecommunication: Najibullah Haqqani
Acting Minister of Economy: Qari Din Hanif
Acting Minister for Hajj and Religious Affairs: Mawlawi Noor Mohammad Saqib
Acting Minister of Justice: Mawlawi Abdul Hakim Sharie
Acting Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs: Mullah Noorullah Noori
Acting Foreign Minister: Amir Khan Muttaqi
Acting Finance Minister: Mullah Hedayatullah Badri
Acting Education Minister: Sheikh Mawlawi Noorullah
Acting Minister for Information and Culture: Mullah Khairullah Khairkhah
Head of State: Mullah Hassan Akhund
First Deputy: Mullah Baradar
Second Deputy: Mawlavi Hanafi
Acting Minister of Defense: Mullah Yaqoub
Acting Minister of Interior: Serajuddin Haqqani
During the announcement, the spokesperson said that all groups are represented in the cabinet and that no one will be able to interfere in Afghanistan.
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“Afghanistan has won freedom and only the will of the Afghans will be applicable in the country,” he said.
He said the Taliban had been in contact with various countries and their envoys had visited Afghanistan. In response to a question, the spokesperson said the country would now be called the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
The Taliban invaded Kabul on August 15 in a lightning attack that decimated the former Afghan army. On the same day, elected leader Ashraf Ghani fled the country.
The Taliban have vowed to be a more moderate version of themselves, unlike their first term in power in 1996-2001.
Despite growing demands for an inclusive government within the international community, there was no evidence of non-Taliban in the queue.
The announcement of the new Taliban regime came amid massive protests in Kabul and other provinces of Afghanistan.
The protest began outside the Pakistani Embassy to denounce what protesters allege Pakistani interference in Afghanistan, in particular Islamabad’s alleged support for the latest Taliban offensive that routed anti-Taliban fighters in Panjshir province.
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