The Taliban has announced the caretaker government in Afghanistan until a more permanent settlement is made in the country. Mullah Hassan Akhund has been made the acting Prime Minister of the country and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is to be appointed the acting Deputy to PM. However, the appointment that will raise the most eyebrows is that of Sirajuddin Haqqani.
https://twitter.com/TheInsiderPaper/status/1435250305973825540?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwSirajuddin Haqqani, a senior leader of the Haqqani Network, has reportedly been appointed the Interior Minister of Afghanistan. The announcement comes days after the USA claimed that the “Taliban and Haqqani Network were separate entities”.
Haqqani is on the FBI’s most wanted list. According to the FBI’s website, “Sirajuddin Haqqani is wanted for questioning in connection with the January 2008 attack on a hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed six people, including an American citizen. He is believed to have coordinated and participated in cross-border attacks against United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan. Haqqani also allegedly was involved in the planning of the assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2008.”
It also states, “Haqqani is thought to stay in Pakistan, specifically the Miram Shah, North Waziristan, Pakistan, area. He is reportedly a senior leader of the Haqqani network, and maintains close ties to the Taliban and al Qaeda. Haqqani is a specially designated global terrorist.” Now that he has been appointed the Interior Minister in the Taliban Government, it is perhaps safe to say that the two are not really “separate entities”.
Apart from that, Khairullah Khairkhwa has been appointed the Information Minister of Afghanistan. Abdul Hakim will be the Minister of Justice in the caretaker government. Sher Abbas Stanikzai will be the Deputy Foreign Min while Zabihullah Mujahid has been appointed the Deputy Information Minister.
https://twitter.com/palkisu/status/1435249563607003139?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwAmir Khan Muttaqi and Mullah Hidayat Badri have been appointed the Foreign Minister and Finance Minister respectively. The announcement comes days after Taliban claimed that Panjshir, the last remaining bastion of resistance forces, fell to the Jihadist group.