Taliban announces new caretaker government, names ministers

The Taliban announced a new caretaker government on Tuesday evening and said the acting head of state will be Mullah Hassan Akhund.  

Addressing a press conference in Kabul, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid made the announcement and said the new acting prime minister will be Mullah Hassan Akhund.

The Taliban swept to power more than three weeks ago when former president Ashraf Ghani fled the country. 

The Taliban has however been working on the formation of a new government since mid-August. 

According to Mujahid, the acting ministers are as follows:

1-      Mullah Hassan Akhand has been appointed as Acting Prime Minister.

2-     Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has been appointed as acting Deputy Prime Minister

3-     Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi has been appointed as acting Deputy Prime Minister

4-     Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, son of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, has been appointed as Acting Defense Minister

5-     Mullah Sirajuddin Haqqani has been appointed as Acting Interior Minister

6-     Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi has been appointed as Acting Foreign Affairs Minister

7-     Mawlawi Hidayatullah Badri has been appointed as Acting Finance Minister

8-     Shaikh Mawlawi Noorullah Munir, has been appointed as Acting Education Minister

9-     Mullah Khairullah Khairkhah has been appointed as Acting Minister of Information and Culture

10-  Qari Din Hanif, has been appointed as Acting Economy Minister

11-  Shaikh Mawlawi Noor Mohammad Saqib Ministry of Hajj and Religious Affairs

12-  Mawlawi Abdul Hakim Shari has been appointed as Acting Justice Minister

13-  Noorullah Noori has been appointed as Acting Minister for Borders and Tribal Affairs

14-  Mullah Mohammad Younus Akhund has been appointed as Acting Minister for the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development

15-  Shaikh Mohammad Khalid has been appointed as Acting Minister for the Ministry of Amr Bil Maroof Nahi Anil Munkar (Enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong)

16-  Mullah Abdul Manan Omari has been appointed as Acting Public Works Minister

17-  Mullah Mohammad Esa Akhund has been appointed as Acting Minister of Mines and Petroleum

18-  Mullah Abdul Latif Mansour has been appointed as Acting Minister for Water and Electricity

19-  Mullah Hamidullah Akhund has been appointed as Acting Minister of Aviation and Transport

20-  Mawlawi Abdul Baqi Haqqani has been appointed as Acting Higher Education Minister

21-  Mawlawi Najibullah Haqqani has been appointed as Acting Communications Minister

22-  Haji Khalil-ul-Rahman Haqqani has been appointed as Acting Refugee Minister

23-  Mawlawi Abdul Haq Wasiq has been appointed as Acting Chief of General Intelligence

24-  Haji Mohammad Edriss has been appointed as Acting Head of Da Afghanistan Bank (Central Bank of Afghanistan)

25-  Mawlawi Ahmad Jan Ahmadi has been appointed as Acting Head of Administration Office

26-  Mullah Mohammad Fazil Mazloom has been appointed as Deputy Defense Minister

27-  Qari Fasihudin has been appointed as Chief of Army Staff

28-  Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai has been appointed as Deputy Foreign Minister

29-  Mawlawi Noor Jalal has been appointed as Deputy Interior Minister

30-  Zabihullah Mujahid has been appointed as Deputy Minister for Information and Culture

31-  Mullah Taj Mir Jawad has been appointed as First Deputy Intelligence Chief

32-  Mullah Rahmatullah Najib has been appointed as Deputy Administration of General Intelligence

33-  Mullah Abdul Haq Akhund has been appointed as Deputy Interior Minister for Counter Narcotics