Taliban co-founder to lead new Afghan government

Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar to lead new Afghan government to be announced shortlyGroup sources said on Friday, as its fighters battled forces loyal to the defeated republic in the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul.

Corn The new government’s most immediate priority will be to prevent the collapse of an economy gripped by drought and the ravages of a 20-year conflict that has killed an estimated 240,000 Afghans. before international forces completed a tumultuous retreat on August 30.

What is at stake is whether the Taliban could rule a country facing economic collapse, humanitarian catastrophe and threats to security and stability from rival jihadist groups, including a local branch of the Islamic State.

Baradar, who heads the Taliban political bureau, will be accompanied by Mula Mohammad Yaqoob, son of the late co-founder of the Taliban, Mullah Omar, and for Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, in positions of responsibility within the government, according to three sources.

“All the top leaders have arrived in Kabul, where preparations are being finalized to announce the new government.”, said Reuters a Taliban official, who requested anonymity.

Haibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme religious leader, will focus on religious affairs and governance within the framework of Islam, another Taliban source said.

The Taliban, who captured Kabul on August 15 after devastating most of the country, have in the face of resistance in the Panjshir valley, where heavy fighting and casualties were recorded.

Several thousand fighters from the regional militia and remnants of government armed forces gathered in the rugged valley under the leadership of Ahmad Massoud, son of former mujahideen commander Ahmad Shah Massoud.

Efforts to negotiate a deal appear to have failed, with each side blaming the other for failure.

Although the Taliban have expressed their willingness to form a consensus government, a source close to the militant Islamist movement said that the interim government that is being created would be made up entirely of Taliban members.

It would be composed of 25 ministries, with an advisory council, or shura, of 12 Muslim scholarsadded the source.

A “Loya jirga”, the great assembly, which will bring together elders and representatives from across Afghan society to discuss a constitution and structure of the future governmentsaid the source.

All sources expected the interim government cabinet to be closed soon, but differed on the exact date, with some saying it would be resolved by late Friday, while others believed it would take until the middle. of the next week.

(With information from Reuters)

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