Kabul: The Taliban included the leader of a US-designated terrorist organization in a new government to formally mark the group's return to power after 20 years of war with America, as the West grapples with whether to recognize the new administration. Mullah Mohammad Hassan, the little-known head of the Taliban's leadership council, was named as acting prime minister, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said at a press conference in Kabul on Tuesday. Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the main public face of the group who signed a peace deal with the Trump administration last year, will serve as his deputy.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of the Haqqani Network who is on the FBI's most wanted list for terrorism, will serve as acting interior minister. That may complicate any moves by the US to cooperate with the Taliban, particularly as President Joe Biden urges the Taliban to cut all ties with terrorist groups.
The Taliban want good relations with all countries in the world, including the US, Mujahed told reporters. He called the cabinet a "diverse group" that included a variety of ethnicities and backgrounds, although no women were chosen. "We're not a tribal force," Mujahed said, adding that the group wanted good relations with the US despite the war. "We hope all countries in the world will recognize the legitimacy of our government and our Islamic regime."
The US and its allies have been watching to see whether the Taliban would form an inclusive government that can stabilize the country and prevent a return to civil war. Other demands include freedom of travel for those who want to leave Afghanistan and rights for women, who faced extreme repression when the Taliban last held power at the turn of the century.
At a briefing, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said she didn't have a timeline for when the US would recognize the new Taliban government and was still working to evacuate remaining Americans. "There's no rush to recognition," she said. "It is really going to be dependent on what steps the Taliban take. The world will be watching, the United States included."
For the new Taliban government, lots is at stake. Signs of an economic crisis are brewing, with prices of essential goods rising in Kabul while banks run short on cash. The US has frozen roughly $9 billion in assets belonging to Da Afghanistan Bank, or DAB, the nation's central bank, and the International Monetary Fund cut off the group from using fund reserve assets.
Mujahed made no mention of Taliban Supreme Commander Haibatullah Akhundzada, who hasn't been seen in public since becoming the group's leader in 2016. Mohammad Yaqoob, the son of former supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar - who refused to give up Osama bin Laden to the US before the 2001 invasion - became acting defense minister.
Other key cabinet members included: Abdul Salam Hanafi, second deputy prime minister;
Amir Khan Muttaqi as acting foreign minister; Hedayatullah Badri as acting finance minister;
Din Mohammad as acting economy minister; Mohammad Edris as acting governor of the central bank.
The Taliban has sought to recast themselves in a more moderate mold: promising amnesty for their enemies, vowing to build an inclusive government with various ethnic groups, keep terrorist groups off Afghan soil and allowing women to work within the bounds of Shariah law.
But many Afghans are cautious about the promised shifts in the Taliban's stance, highlighted by two weeks of desperate scenes at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport. Several people died as massive crowds rushed to the tarmac soon after the terrorist group takeover, and even the suicide bombing failed to deter crowds.
Won't allow any country to interfere
The Taliban asserted that it will not allow any country, including Pakistan, to interfere in Afghanistan’s internal affairs as it confirmed that ISI chief Lt General Faiz Hameed met the insurgent group’s de-facto leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Kabul. The questions of interference were raised after Hameed dashed to Kabul on an unannounced visit last week.
Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said that the group will not allow any country, including Pakistan, to interfere in Afghanistan’s affairs. Hameed was the first high-ranking foreign official to visit Afghanistan since the Taliban seized the Afghan capital. During a press conference in Kabul, Mujahid confirmed that the ISI chief had met with Mullah Baradar during his visit to Kabul. The Taliban have assured Islamabad that Afghan territory will not be used against Pakistan, he said.
The Taliban earlier said that the Pakistani spy chief was in Afghanistan to improve bilateral ties between Kabul and Islamabad. Ahmadullah Wasiq, deputy head of the Taliban’s cultural commission, said that Taliban leaders talked with Hameed about bilateral ties and the problems of Afghan passengers at the Torkham and Spin Boldak passes between Afghanistan and Pakistan. “This Pakistani official has come to solve Afghan passengers’ problems at the border areas, especially in Torkham and Spin Boldak. They wanted (his visit) and we accepted,” Wasiq was quoted as saying.
Panjshir valley has fallen
The Taliban announced they had captured Panjshir valley, ousting the resistance force that had been a key obstacle in the way of the outfit announcing its government in Afghanistan. Reports said that Turkey, China, Russia, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar would be invited to attend the inauguration function of the new government.
Just after Taliban claimed Afghan ex-vice-president Amrullah Saleh, one of the leaders of National Resistance Front fighting the Taliban in Panshir, had escaped to Tajikistan, NRF chief Massoud tweeted, “We are in Panjshir and our resistance will continue.” Massoud said he was ready to hold peace talks, as suggested by religious scholars, if Taliban fighters halted their offensive. Massoud’s post emerged after the Taliban had declared they had entered Bazarak, the provincial capital.
Taliban leader Baradar hurt in clash
Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was reported injured in a clash between his group and ally Haqqani Network, prompting ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed to rush to Kabul in a quick change of role from professed bystander to active troubleshooter. “Don't worry, everything will be okay,” Hameed was quoted as saying in a video clip on his arrival in Kabul. Asked if he would be meeting the Taliban leadership, the ISI chief paused to look at Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul, Mansour Ahmad Khan, before responding himself, “I have just landed. We are working for peace and stability in Afghanistan.”
Women demand place in govt
The Taliban have already stated that women will be allowed to work in government institutions but not in higher-ranking positions. The protesters urged the Taliban and the international community to protect the political, social and economic rights of women that they had achieved in the last two decades. "No society will make progress without women’s active role," civil society activist Taranum Saeedi said.
