The United States has expressed alarm following the Taliban’s announcement of Afghanistan’s new all-male cabinet, which includes people tied to assaults on American soldiers.
Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, who is on the UN’s blacklist, leads the temporary cabinet. The FBI is looking for another person, Sirajuddin Haqqani.
More over three weeks ago, the Islamist organization took control of Afghanistan in a massive attack.
Since then, women-led protests against Islamists have taken place.
Although the militants deny employing violence against them, their administration confronts several obstacles in the conflict-torn country, including economic stabilization and international recognition.
The group had earlier stated that they intended to establish a government that was inclusive.
“We notice the released list of names includes entirely of persons who are members of the Taliban or their close allies, with no women,” the US state department said in a statement on Tuesday.
“We’re also concerned about some of the individuals’ affiliations and track records.”
It went on to say that “the Taliban will be judged by their actions, not their rhetoric.”
According to the statement, Washington would “continue to hold the Taliban to their pledges” to enable safe passage for foreign citizens and Afghans with travel papers, “including letting existing ready-to-fly planes out of Afghanistan.”
“We also repeat our firm expectation that the Taliban do not use Afghan land to threaten other nations,” the statement stated, adding, “The world is watching carefully.”
Afghan Ministers Told To Implement New Laws
Earlier on Tuesday, the Taliban Supreme Leader Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada issued a statement urging the government to respect Sharia law, Islam’s legal system.
The Taliban stated that they seek “strong and healthy” relations with foreign countries and that they would follow international laws and treaties as long as they did not contradict “Islamic law and the country’s national values.”
Hassan Akhund, the new interim prime minister, formerly served as deputy foreign minister under the insurgents from 1996 until 2001. Rather than the military aspect of the organization, he is prominent on the religious side.
After recent rumors of infighting between some more moderate Taliban officials and their hard-line comrades, his hiring is regarded as a compromise.
Many Ministers On US Terroism List
The interim interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is the leader of the Haqqani network, a terrorist group associated with the Taliban that has been responsible for some of the country’s deadliest assaults, including a truck bomb blast in Kabul in 2017 that killed more than 150 people.
Unlike the rest of the Taliban, the US has labeled the Haqqani network as a foreign terrorist organization. It also has a close relationship with al-Qaeda.
According to the FBI, he is wanted for interrogation in connection with a 2008 hotel incident in which one American was murdered, as well as attacks on US soldiers in Afghanistan.
A movement that has long operated in the shadows, with names that only appeared on terrorist watch lists throughout the world, is suddenly declaring titles used by governments all around the world.
After reports of conflicts among key military and political leaders who would serve under him, acting Prime Minister Mullah Akhund looks to be a compromise candidate.
Its caretaker character also allows the Taliban to take a breather while they transition from firearms to administration.
It also emphasizes the Taliban’s belief that only Taliban rule can result from a Taliban triumph. According to sources, they resisted demands for a more “inclusive” administration. They refused to include former political personalities and bureaucrats who had served in positions of power, particularly those who have been tarnished by corruption.
One reply was, “Why should we let outsiders select our cabinet when other countries pick their own?”
Women were never going to be granted a ministerial position, and the ministry of women’s affairs appears to have been disbanded entirely for the time being.
