(CNN) The Taliban on Tuesday announced the formation of a hardline interim government for Afghanistan, filling top posts with veterans of the militant group who oversaw the 20-year fight against the US-led military coalition.
No women or members from Afghanistan’s ousted leadership were selected for acting cabinet positions or named to advisory roles, in spite of the Taliban’s promises of an inclusive government and more moderate form of Islamic rule than when it was last in power, from 1996 to 2001.
The Taliban named Mohammad Hassan Akhund, a close aide of the Taliban’s late founder Mohammad Omar, as acting prime minister and Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the group’s co-founders, was appointed his deputy. Mohammed Yaqoob, a son of Omar, was appointed acting defense minister.
The selection conveys a vision for the future that will do little to allay concerns among foreign governments, as the Taliban seeks international recognition and desperately needed aid. Without access to funds frozen by the US and other nations as well as the International Monetary Fund, Afghanistan faces a deteriorating humanitarian and economic situation. Global leaders and lenders are still waiting to see how the Taliban will treat opposition, women, as well as religious and ethnic minorities.
In a telephone call Tuesday with Hamid Karzai, the former president of Afghanistan, Iran’s foreign minister called for an Afghan government based on dialogue between all groups and emphasized the need to form an inclusive government that is reflective of the country’s diverse ethnic composition.
“We represent the whole of Afghanistan, and we talk on the level of the whole of Afghanistan and our struggle was based on the whole of Afghanistan. We are not people of one tribe or ethnicity, neither do we believe in this,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at a news conference in Kabul on Tuesday, announcing the interim government.
Zabihullah said in a statement that the new government would protect “the country’s highest interest” and uphold Sharia law as interpreted by the Taliban. The militant group said it would name permanent leadership soon.
