WASHINGTON:
The US has expressed concern over affiliations and track records of some of the individuals included in the Taliban unveiled Afghanistan’s new ‘caretaker’ government.
In a statement, the US state department has said: “We note the announced list of names consists exclusively of individuals who are members of the Taliban or their close associates and no women.”
The interim cabinet is led by Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, who is on a UN blacklist. Another figure, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is wanted by the FBI, the BBC reported.
The statement added that the US would “judge the Taliban by its actions, not words.”
“Washington would continue to hold the Taliban to their commitments to allow safe passage for foreign nationals and Afghans with travel documents, including permitting flights currently ready to fly out of Afghanistan,” it asserted.
“We also reiterate our clear expectation that the Taliban ensure that Afghan soil is not used to threaten any other countries,” it said, adding: “The world is watching closely.”
The Taliban has said on Tuesday that Mullah Hassan Akhund was appointed as the Prime Minister of Afghanistan’s caretaker government.
Meanwhile, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Abdul Salam Hanafi were named as the acting deputy Prime Ministers.
Similarly, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, son of the late Taliban co-founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, was appointed as the acting defense minister.
Amir Khan Muttaqi served as the acting Foreign Minister and Sarajuddin Haqqani, son of the founder of the Haqqani network, was named as the acting Interior Minister.
A Taliban spokesman has said the appointments of the interim government are not final as these are acting positions, and the remaining posts will be announced at a later date.
The spokesman has stressed that it is an “acting” government and the group will try to take people from other parts of the country.
The formation of the Afghan caretaker government was announced after the Taliban said on Monday that it had completely captured Panjshir, the last holdout province of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.
The Taliban previously promised to build an inclusive government and expressed hope that Afghan people would help in the country’s transition
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