[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]KABUL: In a significant development, the Afghan Taliban’s supreme leader, Mullah Haibitullah Akhund, has appointed Mawlawi Abdul Kabir as caretaker prime minister and interim head of the cabinet.
Because Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the Taliban government’s acting leader, is ill, Akhund made the announcement.
According to sources, the former suffered a heart attack after visiting Kandahar during the Eid holidays, and despite the passage of 45 days, he was unable to recover and resume his responsibilities.
The Taliban regime’s official spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, confirmed that the acting premier was suffering from various illnesses and wished to rest.
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However, sources told that the decision demonstrated that the new acting premier has close ties with Sirajuddin Haqqani and that the decision was made at his request because the Haqqani network holds fewer cabinet positions than the Kandahari Taliban.
The decision would also give the Haqqanis a weighted advantage over others, but it was made by Mullah Habitullah after consultation with Taliban ranks.
Mullah Hassan Akhund and Mawlawi Kabir were both members of the Afghan Taliban’s Supreme Council as deputies to the Taliban’s prime minister, late Mullah Rabbani (during the former Taliban regime 1996—2001).
Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, the current premier of the Islamic Emirate, previously served as the Taliban’s acting prime minister for six months in 2001.
According to sources close to the situation, Kabir is from Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province and is a member of the Zadran tribe. Kabir was born between 1958 and 1963 and is between the ages of 58 and 63, according to UN reports.
Kabir was also the governor of Nangarhar province and the head of the eastern zone from 1996 to 2001.
After the Taliban reclaimed power in August 2021, he was named deputy prime minister alongside Abdul Salam Hanafi and Abdul Kabir.
He is also said to have taken part in the Doha Agreement, and according to the source, Kabir was part of the committee tasked with speaking directly with then-US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
