[Head of the new Afghan government, Mullah Hasan Akhund, with former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a file photo.]
Kabul: The Taliban Tuesday announced that Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund will be the leader of the new Afghanistan government.
“The Islamic Emirate decided to appoint and announce a caretaker cabinet to carry out the necessary government works,” Taliban's chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
He further said that Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar will be the deputy leader. Mullah Baradar was earlier touted as the President of Afghanistan.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, the son of the founder of the Haqqani Network, will be the new interior minister, Mujahid said.
Akhund is presently the head of the Taliban's powerful decision-making body, Rehbari Shura or the leadership council. He belongs to Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, and was among the founders of the armed movement, The News reported.
"He worked for 20 years as the head of Rehbari Shura and earned himself a very good reputation. He is a religious leader rather than having a military background and is known for his character and devotion," said a Taliban leader.
He added that Akhund remained close to Sheikh Hibatullah Akhunzada for 20 years. According to the Taliban, Akhund had worked in important positions during the previous Taliban government in Afghanistan.
He was the foreign minister before being made the deputy prime minister when Mullah Mohammad Rabbani Akhund was the prime minister, the report said.
Similarly, the Taliban said that the name of another veteran leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani, head of the Haqqani Network, has been appointed as the federal interior minister's post, the report said.
He has also been authorised to nominate governors for the eastern provinces, from where the Haqqani Network used to draw its force, including Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Gardez, Nangarhar and Kunar.
Similarly, Mullah Yaqoob, the son of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, has been approved as Afghanistan's defence minister. Mullah Yaqoob was a student of Sheikh Hibatullah Akhunzada in his madrassa and remained close to him.
According to the Taliban sources, Sheikh Hibatullah Akhunzada has always respected Mullah Yaqoob due to his father and Yaqoob's dedication to his work. It was Sheikh Habibullah who appointed Mullah Yaqoob as commander-in-chief of their armed fighters and then chose him as head of the powerful military commission, the report said.
Yaqoob personally led the recent armed campaign and first started taking over the rural areas, including districts, and then decided to capture the provinces across the country.
People close to Yaqoob told The News that he would take little sleep during the operations and depended on medicines. Some senior Taliban leaders then advised him against taking too much pain.
Head of State: Mullah Hassan Akhund First Deputy: Mullah Baradar Second Deputy: Mawlavi Abdus Salam Hannafi Acting Minister of Defense: Mullah Mohd Yaqoub Acting Minister of Interior: Serajuddin Haqqani Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs: Amir Khan Muttaqi Acting Minister of Rural Rehabilitation and Development: Mullah Mohammad Younus Akhundzada Acting Minister of Information: Mullah Khairullah Khairkhwah Acting Minister of Public Work: Mullah Abdul Manan Omari Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum: Mullah Mohammad Esa Akhund Acting Minister of Finance: Hedayatullah Badri Actng Minister of Economy: Qari Din Hanif Acting Minister for Hajj amd 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 Minister of Dawat-u-Ershad: Sheikh Mohammad Khalid Defense Deputy Minister: Mullah Mohammad Fazil Army Chief of Staff: Qari Fasihuddin Deputy Foreign Minister: Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai Deputy Interior Minister: Mawlawi Noor Jalal 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 Deputy Information and Culture Minister: Zabihullah Mujahid First Deputy of Intelligence Department: Mullah Tajmir Javad Administrative Deputy of Intelligence Department: Mullah Rahmatullah Najeeb Deputy Interior Minister for Counter Narcotics: Mullah Abdulhaq Akhund
Mujahid named 33 members of “the new Islamic government” and said the remaining posts will be announced after careful deliberation.
The announcement comes a week after the United States completed its withdrawal, ending its 20-year occupation of the country, about three weeks after Taliban took control of Kabul toppling the US-backed government of Ashraf Ghani, and a day after Panjshir fell to the Afghanistan's new rulers.
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