Taliban prepare to reveal new Afghan government amid economic uncertainty

Afghan Taliban leaders prepared Thursday to announce their new government as the economy was on the brink of collapse more than two weeks after Muslim militias took Kabul and ended chaos during 20 years of war. 

Taliban official Ahmadullah Muttaqi said on social media that a ceremony was being prepared at the presidential palace in Kabul, while private broadcaster Tolo said the announcement of a new government was imminent. 

The supreme leader of the Islamic movement, Haibatullah Akhundzada, should have ultimate power over a board of directors, with a president below, a senior Taliban official told Reuters in January. 

The legitimacy of the new government in the eyes of international donors and investors will be crucial for the Afghan economy, which is likely to collapse after the Taliban return to power, analysts say. 

The supreme leader of the Taliban has three deputies: Mawlavi Yaqoob, son of the late founder of the movement, Mullah Omar; Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of the powerful Haqqani network; and Abdul Ghani Baradar, one of the founding members of the group. 

An unelected governing board was how the Taliban ran their first government brutally adopting a radical form of Sharia law from 1996 until its overthrow by the US military in 2014. 2001. 

The Taliban have been trying to present a more moderate face in the world since they swept the US-backed government and returned to power last month, promising to uphold human rights and not retaliate. old enemies. 

But the United States, the European Union and others have questioned such guarantees, arguing that formal recognition of the new government and economic aid will depend on action. 

"We will not listen to them, we will listen to them," US Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said at a news conference on Wednesday. 

“So they have a lot to prove against their own background... now they also have a lot to gain if they can rule Afghanistan, far, far from when they were in power last time. “The European Union will not officially recognize the Muslim group until it meets the conditions, including the establishment of an inclusive government, respect for human rights and unrestricted access for employees. 

"There is no doubt between Member States (EU) and in the context of the G7: we have to interact with the Taliban, we have to communicate with the Taliban, we have to influence the Taliban, we have to profit from the influence that we have, "he told Members of the European Parliament in Brussels. no one is surrounded by Taliban flags in an undisclosed location., in this photo uploaded to social media on September 1, 2021. Social media / via REUTERS 

Taliban soldiers are seen in one of the main squares in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan on September 1, 2021. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS 

Taliban flags are seen Found in an unknown location, on this photo uploaded to social media on September 1, 2021. Photo posted September 1, 2021. Documents on social networks / via REUTERS 

"But we will not rush to recognize this new formation, nor establish official relations."

REUTERS