The Taliban have appointed top members to serve as a caretaker Afghan government, naming Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund as acting prime minister and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar as acting deputy prime minister, the group said at a press conference.
The Taliban also named Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is wanted by the FBI for terrorism charges, as acting interior minister. The acting defense minister, Mohammad Yaqoob, is the son of late Taliban founder Mohammed Omar. Amir Khan Muttaqi will serve as acting foreign minister, and Abas Stanikzai will serve as acting deputy foreign minister.
Baradar was one of the four initial founders of the Taliban in 1994 and served a variety of leadership positions from 1996 to 2001. He fled to Pakistan after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
No women or non-Taliban figures were appointed to roles in the caretaker government on Tuesday despite the Taliban claiming last month they are encouraging the “presence of women in different [government] structures according to Islamic law.”
Afghanistan: #Taliban announces cabinet for a new Afghan caretaker govt. According to news Agency AFP Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund will lead the new Taliban govt and the group co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will be his deputy. pic.twitter.com/F5bX5w9yU7
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) September 7, 2021
Former United Nations Ambassadors Nikki Haley and John Bolton both previously conceded to the Washington Examiner that the U.N. is likely to recognize a Taliban-controlled Afghan government, and China has recently seen the country as a strategic investment for economic gain. U.N. officials in Afghanistan have been in close coordination with the Taliban but have yet to recognize the emerging caretaker government.
Last week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged the Taliban “seeks international legitimacy and support.”
“Our message is: Any legitimacy and any support will have to be earned,” he said.
Despite Blinken’s warnings, the militant group on Tuesday named those with ties to al Qaeda to top positions. The new acting interior minister is also the leader of the Haqqani network, which has historical ties to protecting al Qaeda.
The Pentagon has rebutted claims from President Joe Biden that the United States rid Afghanistan of al Qaeda. Defense Department press secretary John Kirby said on Aug. 20 that he did not know exactly how many fighters remained but contended the terrorist group doesn’t pose a threat to the U.S. homeland.
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The Taliban’s acting leadership announcement comes as protests in the country continue in portions of Afghanistan that remain heavily opposed to the militant group’s attempt to seize power over the land, such as resistance forces in the Panjshir region, which denied reports on Monday that the Taliban had taken over the territory.
On Aug. 31, the U.S. withdrew all remaining forces from Afghanistan in compliance with Biden’s deadline. Since July, the U.S. has airlifted more than 120,000 people from Afghanistan, including roughly 5,500 Americans. Biden said Tuesday that about 100 to 200 U.S. citizens who have “some intention to leave” still remained in Afghanistan, many of them being dual citizens.
