Taliban to form 'inclusive caretaker govt' soon

Story by  Aasha Khosa | Posted by  Aasha Khosa | Date 29-08-2021
Zabiullah Mujahid, Taliban spokesperson addressing media in Kabul
Zabiullah Mujahid, Taliban spokesperson addressing media in Kabul

 

Kabul

A member of the Taliban has said that the group has decided to form an "inclusive" caretaker government in Afghanistan, Pakistani media reported.

The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in mid-August.

According to the Taliban shura (consultation committee) member, the caretaker government will be formed inclusively by Taliban commanders and leaders from all Afghan ethnicities and tribal backgrounds in the country, reported The News International.

At present, a dozen names are being considered to be appointed as new government officials, said Taliban member.

The News International further reported that earlier appointments in the new government will be made for the ministries of judiciary, internal security, defence, foreign affairs, finance, information and a special assignment for Kabul's affairs, Taliban member said.

He further stated that the Taliban co-founder, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is present in the Afghan capital, while the Taliban Chief of Army, Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob has left Kandahar for Kabul, to have initial discussions on forming the government.

On Saturday, the Taliban said that they have gained control over the three gates of Kabul Airport as the US forces wound down evacuations ahead of its August 31 deadline, as per Tolo News.

Refuting the Taliban's claim, Pentagon said that the US military has "begun retrograding" from the Kabul airport and it's "still in charge of the airport" and the security.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that the US troops are "retrograding" from the Hamid Karzai International airport and noted that Washington is "still in charge of the airport" and the security, CNN reported.

In the meanwhile,the Pentagon said on Saturday that two high-profile targets of ISIS-K, a local affiliate of the Islamic State in Afghanistan, were killed in a US drone strike on Friday.

"Two high-profile ISIS targets were killed, one was wounded, and we know of zero civilian casualties," US Army Major General Hank Taylor told reporters in a Pentagon briefing, the Xinhua news agency reported.

US Central Command initially assessed on Friday that the drone strike, which occurred in Nangarhar province of eastern Afghanistan, killed one ISIS-K planner.

The strike came after a suicide bombing outside Kabul airport on Thursday which killed 13 US service members and some 170 Afghans. ISIS-K had claimed responsibility for the attack.