Lagatar24 Desk
Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, who is on a UN sanction list, was named as the acting prime minister. Akhund is the long-time head of the Taliban’s powerful decision making body Rehbari Shura, or leadership council. He was the first foreign minister and then deputy prime minister during the Taliban’s last rule from 1996-2001.
Al-Jazeera says that Akhund’s Pashtun lineage descends from Ahmad Shah Durrani, the founder of modern Afghanistan.
Abdul Ghani Baradar
Abdul Ghani Baradar was named as the acting deputy prime minister. Following the fall of the Taliban government, Baradar served as a senior military commander responsible for attacks on coalition forces, a UN sanctions notice said.
Maulavi Abdul Salam Hanafi
Maulavi Abdul Salam Hanafi was also named as the acting deputy prime minister. He is believed to be 53 years old and was made in charge of the Jawzujan province in northern Afghanistan in May 2007. He remains under the UN sanctions for drug trafficking.
Amir Khan Muttaqi
Amir Khan Muttaqi was named as the acting foreign minister. He served as the minister of culture and information during the previous Taliban government, as well as the minister of Education.
Sirajuddin Haqqani
Sirajuddin Haqqani was named as the acting interior minister. Head of the influential Haqqani network, Sirajuddin Haqqani succeeded as its leader following the death of his father, Jalauddin Haqqani, in 2018. Haqqani is one of the FBI’s most wanted men, due to his involvement in suicide attacks and ties with Al Qaeda.
