Armed Taliban elements patrol checkpoints in Kabul
Why is Afghanistan led by a mysterious emir? Taliban Transitional Government Delineates "Sphere of Influence"
Text/Tin Estate
As negotiations to form an inclusive government have been slow to make a breakthrough, the Taliban released on September 7 the names of the leaders of the Transitional Government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Hassan Ahund, head of the Taliban's highest deliberative body, became prime minister, Baladal, the Taliban's number two figure and former head of the Doha Political Committee, became Hassan's deputy, and the local armed group Haqqani Network won important positions such as Minister of the Interior.
Akhonzada, the always mysterious supreme leader of the Taliban, has also spoken out for the first time since the Taliban occupied Kabul. Taliban spokesman Mujahid said Akhonzada, as the spiritual leader, would lead the country as the "emir of the Islamic Emirate."
In his statement, Akhonzada said the transitional government would "uphold Islamic rules and Sharia law, protect the best interests of the country, defend Afghanistan's borders and ensure lasting peace, prosperity and development".
A day earlier, the Taliban had announced the end of fighting in Panjshir province north of Kabul, defeating the Masood family and the National Resistance Movement led by former First Vice President Saleh. If the Taliban do do this, it means that the Taliban already control all of Afghanistan.
Armed Taliban patrolled the streets after taking control of Panjhir
The Taliban's "Sphere of Influence"
According to information released by the Taliban, heads of government departments such as the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture and Information, the Ministry of Pilgrimage, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Border and Tribal Affairs, the Ministry of Rural Development, the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Telecommunications, the Ministry of Refugees, the Intelligence Service, the Central Bank and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs were appointed. In addition, the list includes the Chief of Staff of the President, the Chief of the General Staff and a number of important deputy ministerial positions, such as the Deputy Minister of the Interior in charge of combating drugs.
Since all those appointed were members of the Taliban, there were comments that the Taliban had abandoned the idea of forming an inclusive government. In response, former vice president's chief of staff Ladd said that in addition to a few positions such as the chief and deputy prime minister and the army chief of staff, the Taliban appointed "acting ministers", indicating that this is a formal formation of a transitional government, while negotiations for an inclusive government are still ongoing.
Rad revealed that because most of the former government ministers were in exile, some of the Taliban acting ministers on the list had actually performed their duties two weeks earlier. On the other hand, the Taliban have not appointed all ministerial positions, such as the Ministry of Health, and Majiru, the former Minister of Health of the Gani Government, who was retained by the Taliban, continues to serve as acting minister of the Transitional Government. In addition, Taliban representatives continue to negotiate with leaders of various political factions on inclusive government.
Analysts noted that the Taliban, by appointing acting ministers in key sectors, declared themselves to other negotiators their "sphere of influence" in a future government. It also reflects the basic agreement among the various factions within the Taliban on the distribution of power.
Close to what had been expected, in the transitional government, the former political committee leader, not the Taliban commander, occupied key leadership positions. The head of the political committee, Baradal, served as first deputy prime minister, and his deputy in Doha during negotiations with the U.S. military and the Ghani government, Hanafi, became the second deputy prime minister.
Yakubu, head of the Taliban Military Council and son of Omar, the former Taliban leader with close taradar, served as defense minister. The three are ranked second only to Hassan Ahunde in the list. During this year's civil war, none of them commanded on the front line, but remotely issued government decrees that attracted much attention, such as "prohibiting harassment of former government officials", "protecting women's rights and interests", and "negotiating an inclusive government". The new Foreign Minister Mottaki, The Economy Minister Hanif, the Director General of the General Intelligence Administration Vask, and the Deputy Defense Minister Fazel are also members of the "Doha Circle".
On the other hand, the Haqqani network, an armed group affiliated with the Taliban active in eastern Afghanistan, has also received important appointments. After the group's leader, Khalil Haqqani, first entered Kabul on August 15, he was appointed head of kabul's defense. Today, Khalil has been appointed Minister of Refugee Affairs, while his nephew, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the supreme leader of the Haqqani network and the titular deputy leader of the Taliban, is acting Minister of the Interior. A number of senior Taliban officials surnamed "Haqqani" have been appointed as ministers this time, but sources have pointed out that they are not all members of the Haqqani network.
Earlier, it was rumored that the Taliban had delayed in publishing the list of leaders of the transitional government, and that there was a difference between leaders such as Baradal and Yakubu who had long lived in Doha and groups representing the interests of armed groups and commanders such as the Haqqani network. In early September, Lieutenant General Hamid, head of Pakistan's ISI, flew to Kabul to engage in dialogue with the leaders of the Taliban.
Taliban spokesman Mujahid denied rumors of internal differences on Sept. 6, saying that the parties had already reached a "final decision" on the leadership of the transitional government and that the delay in announcing it was due to "the need to address technical issues."
Notably, the Afghan inclusive government negotiations have previously been the responsibility of Baradal and political committee officials. But since September, Haqqani network leaders have also begun meeting with politicians individually. The leader of the Islamic People's Party of Afghanistan and former government minister Said Hadi recently told this writer that Khalil Haqqani had just held talks with him the day before and promised him that his party "will play an active and important role in the new government."
In recent personnel adjustments, the Taliban have also appointed a number of senior minority officials. Afghan Shiite leader Baleshi said that in the Shiite Hazara-populated areas, in addition to the position of provincial governor, most of the regional chiefs appointed by the Taliban are Hazaras. Mahdi, a Hazara man who was first appointed by the Taliban as regional governor, told this writer that his position has been promoted and he currently "administers three provinces."
The Taliban, who were appointed ministers on September 7, also included two Tajiks, the chief of staff, Fahihudin, and the minister of economy, Hanif.
Akhonzada
Hassan Ahund
Mysterious religious leader
After U.S. forces occupied Afghanistan in 2001, Taliban leaders who fled to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border decided to create a common deliberative body, Quettashura. Baradal, then the Taliban's supreme leader Omar's deputy and known as a "consensus-maker", became the head of the agency, while Hassan Ahund, the former deputy prime minister of the Taliban government and foreign minister, became Baradal's main aide.
Quettashula soon became the de facto supreme deliberative body of the Taliban. But Baradal was arrested in Pakistan in 2010 and subsequently detained for eight years. Like most detained Taliban leaders, he did not return to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border after his release, but traveled to Doha to engage in political negotiations.
After Baradar's arrest, The southern Taliban military leader Zakir, who opposed Baradal's peace talks with the Afghan government, briefly served as top leader of Quettashura, but was ousted three years later by other Taliban top brass who supported the peace talks. Subsequently, Hassan, who had been working in the deliberative body, became the Taliban's de facto "head of coordination," while the Western media called him supreme leader Ahunzada the "most trusted man."
In a multi-factional government, Hassan's most important mission is still to coordinate all parties and ensure that the government operates. "In a way, he's the biggest winner, but he's also on the hardest part of the mission." Ladd said.
Afghanistan, which has just ended at war, is facing many crises, with more than 7 million refugees in need of food, drinking water and shelter. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has warned that the country is likely to have a food crisis in the near future. Governments and international organizations have suspended aid to Afghanistan, and nearly $9.5 billion in assets of the Central Bank of Afghanistan have been frozen. Kabul airport has not yet resumed international cargo, materials can only be transported through the ports of Iran and Pakistan, can not meet the most basic humanitarian needs, medicines, vaccines and other materials gap is huge.
Some legal professionals pointed out that the Taliban urgently need to be recognized by foreign governments and international organizations, but in international law, only the formation of a government can trigger the problem of "government recognition" and thus obtain official assistance. As Foreign Minister Hassan during the Taliban's last term in power, Hassan may also play a role in this process.
As the "emir of the Emirate", what role Akhonzada will play in the transitional government is of greater concern to the outside world. The mysterious religious leader, who became the titular supreme leader of the Taliban in 2016 after the death of Taliban leader Omar, did not directly manage the Taliban's political and military work, but has always controlled the religious committee, the judicial committee and other organs.
In the Medieval Islamic world, "emir" meant governors sent by the caliphate, the supreme leader of the empire, to various places. After the dissolution of the Arab Empire, the governors established their own states, and emir became the supreme leader of many countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
The Taliban, which promotes islam's traditional system of governance, has created the title of "emir" since 1994 and made it head of state after the establishment of the regime in 1996. The "emir" at that time was Omar, the supreme leader of the Taliban. However, the specific powers and institutions of the "emir" as a position have never been clarified. Some analysts believe that the current framework governance structure in Afghanistan is similar to that of Iran, that is, it is guided by the "theocratic layer" to build a republican governance system of "limited democracy and limited pluralism".
Ladd noted that the transitional government currently established is only the executive branch, and it is still unclear how the Taliban will build the legislative and judicial organs of the new regime. But in Afghanistan, the relationship between the judiciary and religious leaders is generally particularly close.
Even during the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan, the president of the Afghan Supreme Court was a senior religious figure rather than a legal expert to ensure that the Islamic theocracy in the Constitution could be ruled upon by judicial decision. Akhonzada himself served as vice president of Afghanistan's Supreme Court during the Taliban administration from 1996 to 2001.
In recent negotiations, political leaders of Shiite and other groups have proposed to the Taliban "a more flexible posture on the issue of the emirate", and Akhonzada's public statement on the 7th has actually responded: the transitional government is a "loyal caretaker cabinet of the Islamic Emirate" and will also act in accordance with Sharia law.
However, he also pledged that the Transitional Government would take "serious and effective measures" within the framework of the Shariah to protect the interests of minorities and vulnerable groups.
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