The new Taliban interim government is drawn from loyalist ranks, with hardliners in all key posts and no women. The top positions were given to Taliban’s key leaders and to the Haqqani network, the most violent faction of the Taliban.
Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, a senior minister during the 1990s, was appointed interim prime minister. Mullah Yaqoob, the son of the Taliban founder and late supreme leader Mullah Omar, was named defence minister, while the position of interior minister was given to Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Haqqani leader.
Abdul Ghani Baradar, who oversaw the signing of the US withdrawal agreement in 2020, was appointed deputy prime minister.
Haibatullah Akhundzada, the secretive supreme leader of the Taliban, released a statement saying that the new government would “work hard towards upholding Islamic rules and sharia law”.
“The new Taliban, same as the old Taliban,” tweeted Bill Roggio, managing editor of the US-based Long War Journal.
“It’s not at all inclusive, and that’s no surprise whatsoever,” said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the Woodrow Wilson International Center.
The Taliban also announced the reinstatement of the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. The ministry had been responsible for arresting and punishing people for failing to implement the movement’s restrictive interpretation of sharia law.
However, there have been scattered protests in cities across the country, many with women at the forefront.
Protests in Kabul and Faizabad were broken up. A protest in Herat saw two people shot dead.
The Taliban spokesman warned the public against taking to the streets, adding that journalists should not cover any demonstrations. The group would not stand for any resistance to its rule.
The Taliban are faced with economic woes and security challenges — including from the Islamic State group’s local chapter.