As the United States finishes up its evacuation operation, the Taliban are putting up a cabinet, according to a Taliban spokesman.
Taliban Designated Some Heads
In a recently published article in The Hill, according to the wire agency, the spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, did not provide a precise timetable for when the cabinet will be completed. He did point out, however, that the coalition has already named heads of education and public health institutes, among other positions.
The Taliban's announcement comes as the organization solidified control in Afghanistan over the previous month, gaining military ground in many major cities before taking Kabul. Taliban has already said before that they will form a new government under their supervision.
Moreover, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the nation when the capital city was captured. Vice President Amrullah Saleh proclaimed himself "caretaker" president after the president's departure, according to a recently published news article in Reuters.
Taliban To Form a New Government
The Taliban's leadership council, or shura in Pashto, convened recently in the presidential palace in Kabul, according to a senior Taliban leader who talked to Nikkei on the condition of anonymity. Mullah Yaqoob, a son of Taliban founder Mohammed Omar, and Sirajuddin Haqqani, two of the organization's three deputy leaders, have been entrusted with completing the cabinet roster. One of the two men is likely to become Prime Minister.
In a recently published article in Nikkei Asia, almost all of the shura's 26 members will be admitted into the cabinet, with the exception of a few elderly and ailing members and some from outside the council, according to the source. Despite the Taliban's frequent statements that it wants a complete administration in Afghanistan, the insider claims that there is no chance of inducting officials from the previous government in the first phase.
Furthermore, women will not be included in the first cabinet, although it is possible that this could change in the future. According to the source, the new government would build its defense forces by combining its own soldiers with the former Afghan National Army, which has been battling the Taliban for decades.
Forming a New Government Amid the Economic Turmoil
According to a news outlet, the nation is also experiencing economic difficulties since its Afghani currency has lost most of its value and its banks have been shuttered for many weeks. To compound the economic situation, areas of Afghanistan have been hit by a severe drought, causing food costs to skyrocket.
Mujahid predicted that after the Taliban established their new administration, the country's situation will improve. He said that the Afghani's depreciation versus international currencies is just temporary and that it is due to a scenario that abruptly altered, it would return to normal once the government system is fully operational.
However, there are still many uncertainties because the International Monetary Fund stopped sending funds to Afghanistan after the country was fully controlled by the Taliban. The Taliban cannot also access the assets of the Da Afghan Bank.
