Taliban say Hasan Akhund will lead new Afghan government

The Taliban announced on Tuesday that the mullah Mohamed Hassan Akhund, sanctioned by the UN, will be the head of his new government in Afghanistan.

For his part, the co-founder of the Taliban movement, Abdul Ghani Baradar, will be the deputy chief, confirmed the group’s main spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, at a press conference.

In addition, the spokesperson clarified that the government will have an “interim” character, since it is not complete, and they will try to include people from other parts of the country.

The mulá Yaqub, son of the founder of the Taliban and late Supreme Leader, Mullah Omar, has been appointed Defense Minister, while the burden of Minister of the Interior was awarded to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the formidable Red haqqani, who also served as the second Taliban leader. Amir Khan Muttaqi, Taliban negotiator in Doha and member of the cabinet of the first regime, was appointed Minister of External Affairs.

Since the US-led evacuation was completed in late August, die-hard Islamists who came to power last month are expected to announce a government. They promised “inclusive” training that represents Afghanistan’s complex ethnic makeup, although women are unlikely to be included at higher levels.

In his transition from insurgent group to power to power, the Taliban face a number of major challenges, including the financial and humanitarian crises that lie ahead.

On Tuesday, several cities in Afghanistan saw protests in support of resistance against the Taliban and to criticize Pakistan’s alleged military support for the Islamist group, which resulted in arrests of protesters and journalists and reports of insurgent attacks. At least two eyewitnesses who were part of one of the protests told Efe that the Taliban attempted to disperse the protest with warning shots. Journalists and participants also denounced the repression of demonstrations.

The international community has assured that it will judge the Taliban for their actions, after the Islamist movement regained power after being expelled twenty years ago by a coalition led by the United States.

So far, its promises on women’s rights are not entirely convincing. In recent days, dozens of Afghan women have staged several protests in Kabul to denounce the Taliban regime’s violent crackdown in the Panshir Valley.

In this valley was the last bastion of resistance of the Afghan army, but the Taliban managed to dominate it, according to them, ensuring that “there is no war”.

The Taliban spokesman, when asked about the violent dispersal of the protests on Saturday, stressed that members of his movement “are not yet trained” in how to handle the protests and asked the protesters to inform the authorities that they will. concentrate 24 hours in advance. .

(With information from AFP and EFE)

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