Arthur Greene
The Taliban have announced an interim government to rule Afghanistan on Monday, a month after the militant group seized power.
One of the cabinet members who most catches the eye is the new interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is high up on the FBI’s most-wanted list.
The US Department of Justice was offering a R71,5 million reward for anyone who has information on his whereabouts, for his alleged involvement in a suicide bomb attack on a hotel in Kabul.
Haqqani is head of a terrorist organisation, known as the Haqqani network, which is believed to be behind some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan in the past two decades.
Mullah Hasan Akhund, one of the founding members of the Taliban, has been named as the interim prime minister.
Akhund led the militant group during the last years of its previous spell in power, from 1996-2001.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said at a news conference that this government is not “tribal” and will represent everyone in Afghanistan.
However, the country’s new government – made up mainly of religious figures and previous leaders – suggests they haven’t changed much since they were last in charge.
Taliban leadership appears to have ignored calls from the international community to appoint some ministers who are not members of the Taliban.
It goes without saying that there is not a single woman in the cabinet.
When the BBC questioned Abdullah Wasiq, a member of the Taliban, why this was the case, he said the cabinet had not yet been finalised.
Image source: @TheInsiderPaper
