The Taliban have announced an interim government in Afghanistan, and declared that the country is an “Islamic Emirate”.
The interim government will be led by Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, one of the founders of the Taliban.
The Taliban took control of the country over three weeks ago when it ousting the previous elected leadership.
The announcement of the acting cabinet is a major step in the formation of a Taliban government.
“We know the people of our country have been waiting for a new government,” Zabihullah Mujahid said and added that the group had answered the needs of the people.
The new acting Interior Minister, Sarajuddin Haqqani, heads the militant group known as the Haqqani network. The group is affiliated with the Taliban and has been behind some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan’s two-decade-long war.
Unlike the broader Taliban, the Haqqani network has been classified as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US.
Other appointments include Mullah Yaqoob as acting defence minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi as acting foreign minister, and Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Mullah Abdul Salam Hanafi as two deputies.
