Taliban appoint new government by proxy… who are its members?
The Taliban Islamic militia on Tuesday announced the formation of a caretaker government in Afghanistan to run the country.
The formation of a Taliban government
The Taliban-declared government is headed by al-Hajj Mollah Hassan, and Abdul Ghani Baradar is the vice-president of the government.
Mollah Abdul Ghani Baradar is currently the Taliban’s number one, after his brother-in-law, the deceased Mollah Mohammad Omar.
He was instrumental in the military and financial activities of the Taliban. In February 2010, the Pakistani government announced Baradar’s capture in Karachi, but the Taliban denied it.
Son of Taliban founder
The new Afghan government also includes acting defense minister Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, son of the late Taliban founder Mollah Mohammad Omar, as acting defense minister.
Mollah Omar was the supreme leader and spiritual leader of the Afghan Taliban until his death. He was the 11th Afghan president under the name of Chairman of the Supreme Council during the Taliban’s rule between 1996 and 2001, before the American invasion in 2001. Mollah Omar was one of the most wanted men in the United States.
Al-Qaeda’s ally as interior minister
The movement announced the appointment of Asaduddin Haqqani, the second-in-command of the Taliban and leader of the Haqqani network, founded by his father, the famous Afghan leader Djalalouddine Haqqani.
“Asaduddin Haqqani belongs to an influential family, and his father, Djalalouddine Haqqani, is the founder of the Haqqani Network for Jihad and one of the most prominent leaders.”
Haqqani also has close ties to the al-Qaeda terrorist organization.
The Haqqani network is considered one of the most dangerous factions in Afghanistan, fighting American and NATO forces in the past two decades in Afghanistan. It is known for carrying out suicide operations and was responsible for the most violent attacks that took place in Afghanistan in past years.
International terrorist as minister of foreign affairs
The movement also announced the appointment of Amir Khan Muttaqi as Foreign Minister and Abbas Satakenzai as acting Foreign Minister.
Amir Khan Muttaqi served as the Taliban’s representative to UN-led talks during the Taliban regime.
Amir Khan Muttaqi is a prominent member of the Taliban and was Minister of Information and Culture during the Taliban regime. He was also a member of the Taliban Regional Council and Supreme Council until June 2007.
Since 25 January 2001, the name of Amir Khan Muttaqi has been listed as a terrorist as Minister of Education of the Taliban regime, which falls under the provisions of UN Security Council resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1333 (2000) on terrorist acts and activities of the Taliban.
Guantanamo Camp and the Minister of Intelligence
The Taliban also announced the appointment of Abdul Haq Wasiq, intelligence chief in Afghanistan, an Afghan held at the US detention center at Guantanamo in Cuba, with his serial number of 4.
Abdul Haq Wasiq was born in 1971 in Ghazni province in Afghanistan. He arrived in Guantánamo on 11 January 2002, where he was held until 31 May 2014.
Vacant Ministries
The Taliban continues to consult on finding the right people to fill the vacuum left by the remaining ministries.
It seems that this government is limited to the Taliban alone. The group did not have to be asked if the new government represented different groups in Afghan society and different tribes.
Taliban Interim Government
The Taliban spokesman, Dhabih Allah Mojahid, stressed that the government’s mission is to “conduct business”, adding: “The interim government is dealing with the current situation, and then we will have talks and discussions with the different communities and tribes.”
The movement’s spokesperson added: “We will focus on making this government fully representative later, but now it’s just doing business.”
