Recently the Taliban announced an interim government in Afghanistan. Thus, declaring the country an “Islamic Emirate”.
The new cabinet comprises only male senior Taliban figures. Some of these figures are infamous for attacks on US forces over the last two decades.
The government will be led by Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, one of the movement’s founders, who is on a UN blacklist.
Sirajuddin Haqqani is the interior minister who is the feared FBI-wanted leader of the Haqqani militant group,
It has been more than three weeks that the Taliban seized control of most of Afghanistan, exiling the prior elected leadership.
The announcement of the acting cabinet is a crucial step in the creation of a permanent Taliban government.
The new headship will face substantial challenges, not least stabilising the country’s economy and gaining international acknowledgement.
Previously, the Taliban said that they wanted to form an inclusive government.
Still, all of the cabinet ministers announced on Tuesday are already established Taliban leaders, and no women were included.
New Government
Afghanistan’s new acting interior minister is Sirajuddin Haqqani.
He is the head of the militant group known as the Haqqani network who have been behind some of the deadliest attacks in the country’s two-decade-long war.
These attacks include a truck bomb explosion in Kabul in 2017 that killed more than 150 people.
Moreover, the Haqqani network has been designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the US. It also maintains close ties to al-Qaeda.
The group has also been blamed for an attack on the US embassy and nearby Nato bases in Kabul on 12 September 2011. Eight people including four police officers were killed in that attack.
Acting prime minister Mullah Akhund appears as a compromise candidate after reported rivalries among leading military and political figures who will serve under him.
It emphasizes the Taliban view – Taliban victory can only mean Taliban rule. According to the sources, they pushed back against calls for an “inclusive” government.
They hesitated at including past political leaders and officials, who’ve had their turn at the top, and particularly those stained by corruption.
