Taliban announces new Afghanistan government with Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund as leader
- Despite promises of an inclusive government, the top roles went to hardliners, with no women appointed
- Two people were shot dead in the city of Herat as the group grapples with a growing number of protests against its rule
The Taliban announced its government in Afghanistan on Tuesday, with a UN-blacklisted veteran of the hardline movement in the top role, weeks after they swept to power and toppled the US-backed president.
But as the Taliban transitions from militant force to governing power of Afghanistan, security officials grappled with a growing number of protests against its rule, with two people shot dead in the western city of Herat.
Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund – a senior minister during the Taliban’s brutal and repressive reign in the 1990s – was appointed acting prime minister, a spokesman said at a press conference in Kabul.
The Taliban had promised an inclusive government that would reflect the ethnic make-up of the country, but all the top positions were handed to key leaders from the movement and the Haqqani network – the most violent branch of the Taliban known for devastating attacks. None of the government appointees were women.
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“We will try to take people from other parts of the country,” spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said, adding that it was an interim government.