Backgrounds of the cabinet members of the new Taliban-led government in Afghanistan came under intense media scrutiny soon after the announcement. The new acting government has 33 cabinet members, with Mohammad Hasan Akhund at the head and the group’s co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar in the deputy role.
Interior Minister: Wanted By The FBI
Sirajuddin Haqqani was named interior minister of the new government. Even as he was elevated to a top role in the new government, there exists a $5 million US government bounty on his head. Haqqani is wanted by the FBI for questioning “in connection with the January 2008 attack on a hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed six people, including an American citizen,” the bureau’s wanted posted for him states.
FBI poster seeking information on Sirajuddin Haqqani
“He is believed to have coordinated and participated in cross-border attacks against United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan. Haqqani also allegedly was involved in the planning of the assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2008.”
Minister of Education: ‘No Phd, Master’s Degree Valuable’
A video being shared widely on social media shows the Taliban’s Minister of Education Sheikh Molvi Noorullah Munir questioning the relevance of higher education.
“No Phd degree, master’s degree is valuable today. You see that the Mullahs and Taliban that are in the power, have no Phd, MA or even a high school degree, but are the greatest of all,” Sheikh Molvi Noorullah Munir says in the video.
These words drew intense criticism on social media, especially because since taking over Afghanistan, the Taliban have attempted to project themselves as moderates who wish to rebuild the country after decades of war.
Defence Minister: Son of Mullah Omer
Mullah Yaqoob, who is the son of the Taliban’s founder Mullah Omar, Yaqoob originally sought to succeed his father in 2015. He stormed out of the council meeting that appointed Mullah Akhtar Mansour as his father’s successor, but eventually returned to the fold.
Even though he is in his early 30s and without any serious combat experience, he commands the loyalty of a section of the movement in Kandahar because of the prestige of his father’s name.
He was named as overall head of the Taliban military commission last year, overseeing all military operations in Afghanistan and was one of three deputy leaders, along with Baradar and Sirajuddin Haqqani.
