The new Taliban government seems to be officially launched on the 3rd… “Reign with an Iranian-style theocracy”

The Taliban, an Islamic militant group that has reclaimed Afghanistan for the first time in 20 years, is counting the launch of a new government. An official announcement is expected on the 3rd (local time). It is certain that it will be a form of government with a ‘theocracy’ similar to Iran.

According to the Washington Post (WP) and The New York Times (NYT), the daily Washington Post (WP) and the New York Times (NYT), the Taliban held a leadership meeting for three days starting on the 30th of last month when the US military completely withdrew from Afghanistan in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan, and completed the formation of a new government cabinet on the 1st. . “Some decisions have been made not only in the government, but also in the political and social sectors,” said Zabihula Mujahid. While foreign media reports continued that the official declaration of establishment of the Taliban regime would be made on the 3rd, the New York Times, citing a source, said, “It may be as early as 2 days.” It is known that the Taliban Ministry of Information and Culture is already preparing for a ceremony to mark the launch of the new government at the Presidential Palace.

Haibatula Akundjada, the supreme leader of the Islamic militant group Taliban, poses outside. This is an unknown date photo released by the Taliban in May 2016. AFP Yonhap News

As expected, the supreme leader, Haibatula Akundjada, will take over as the head of the ‘second Taliban government’. It is reported that Akundjada also presided over the recent three-day cabinet meeting. Estimated to be 60 years old, he is a former Islamic jurist and has led the Taliban since 2016 and has been in charge of politics, religion, and military affairs. Because he does not appear in public, he is called a ‘reclusive leader’ and ‘leader of believers’. The WP predicted that “the Taliban government will be similar to the Iranian theocracy.” This means that the supreme leader will exercise absolute power and control the legislative, judicial, and executive branches, and the president will lead the executive branch under him, similar to the Iranian regime, which represents the country externally. “The Taliban have been waiting for the complete withdrawal of US troops,” Bloomberg News reported, citing a senior Taliban official.

Abdul Ghani Baradar, who co-founded the Taliban and led the peace negotiations with the United States as the ‘second in the organization’, is expected to oversee administrative affairs as the head of the government. There are also rumors of the appointment of a foreign minister. Shirazuddin Haqqani, a military leader as the head of the Haqqani faction, and Muhammad Yakub, the son of the late Muhammad Omar, the first Taliban leader, are also likely to be employed in key posts. Sadar Ibrahim as Interior Minister and Gul Agha as Finance Minister have already been appointed.

Anas Haqqani (centre right), an executive of the Taliban, an Islamic militant group that recaptured the Afghan regime, in Kabul on the 18th of last month, including former President Hamid Karzai (center left) and Abdullah Abdullah (second right) chairman of the Supreme Council for National Reconciliation I am meeting with the members of the side. Kabul = Associated Press

However, despite the promise of an ‘inclusive government’, the possibility of hiring a female cabinet minister or the existing Afghan government officials is very low. Ser Abs Stanekzai, deputy head of the political office of the Taliban in Qatar, said in a video interview with the BBC on the same day, “Women are included (in the government), but they are not high-ranking positions, but lower positions. will be excluded.”

Anti-Taliban figures are also likely to be excluded. Negotiations with the National Resistance Front (NRF), a rebel group in northern Afghanistan in Pansijir, also seem to have broken down. The WP reported that fighting broke out between the Taliban and resistance forces from the previous day to this day, with many dead on both sides. “The Taliban have recaptured an area of ​​Pansijir, and they are about to put down the resistance,” a source said.

Kim Pyo-hyang reporter suzak@hankookilbo.com