The US newspaper also reports that the Taliban are also prepared to fill key posts but it is not yet clear who will be the leader of Shura and whether the Taliban will meet the promise of making an inclusive government to run the affairs of the war-torn country.
NEW YORK: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Sept 2nd, 2021) Taliban are all set to appoint Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada as the country’s supreme leader, The New York Times reported Wednesday, citing a Taliban official.
The US newspaper also reported that the announcement in this regard may come as as Thursday (today). It reported that the Taliban are also prepared to fill key posts to run the government in the war-torn country.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar appointed new head of Taliban office in Doha.
Sheikh Haibatullah has been meeting with other key Taliban leaders in Kandahar this week.
Bloomberg news, citing Bilal Karimi, a member of the Taliban’s cultural commission, also reported on the plans for the new government, including Sheikh Haibatullah’s new role.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban who has served as the group’s deputy leader in recent years, was expected to be in charge of the day-to-day affairs as head of government, it said.
Baradar acted as the chief negotiator for the group in peace talks with the United States in Qatar, presiding over the agreement that cleared the way for the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Other key positions in the government, according to the Times, are expected to go to Sirajuddin Haqqani, another deputy and an influential operations leader within the movement, and Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob, who is the son of the Taliban movement’s founder, Mullah Muhammad Omar.
The NYT reported that still unclear was the role of a leadership shura or council, and whether its membership would fulfill the Taliban’s promise of building an inclusive government. The question also remains of whether leaders from previous governments, such as Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, who have remained in Kabul for talks, will be included.
Other Taliban leaders expected to receive cabinet posts included Sadar Ibrahim, who has functioned as de facto interior minister since the Taliban’s takeover, the Times said
