Taliban announce hardline government as protests grow

The Taliban announced on Tuesday an interim government drawn exclusively from their own loyalist ranks, with established hardliners in all key posts and no women despite previous promises to form an inclusive administration for all Afghans.

But as the Taliban transition from militant force to governing power, they face a growing number of protests against their rule, with two people attending a demonstration shot dead in the western city of Herat.

The government announcement was the latest step in the Taliban’s bid to cement their total control over Afghanistan, following a stunning military victory that saw them oust the US-backed government on August 15, days ahead of the chaotic pullout of American troops.

The Taliban, notorious for their brutal and oppressive rule from 1996 to 2001, had promised a more inclusive government this time.

However, all the top positions were handed to key leaders from the movement and the Haqqani network, the most violent faction of the Taliban known for devastating attacks.

Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, a senior minister during the Taliban’s reign in the 1990s, was appointed interim prime minister, the group’s chief spokesman said at a press conference in Kabul.

Mullah Yaqoob, the son of the Taliban founder and late supreme leader Mullah Omar, was named defence minister, while the position of an interior minister was given to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the leader of the feared Haqqani network.

Co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar, who oversaw the signing of the US withdrawal agreement in 2020, was appointed deputy prime minister.

None of the government appointees were women.

“We will try to take people from other parts of the country,” spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said, adding that it was an interim government.

ARR