Afghanistan’s Taliban is planning an inclusive caretaker government after the group toppled the Western-backed administration in a stunning sweep earlier this month, reports Al Jazeera.
Taliban sources told Al Jazeera that the caretaker government will include leaders from all ethnicities and tribal backgrounds in the country.
Nearly a dozen names are being considered to be part of the new government, sources said to the Qatar-based news channel.
The duration of the caretaker government is said to be unclear at the moment.
Afghanistan’s ethnic diversity has been at the centre of politics and conflict in the country, with no single ethnic group enjoying a decisive majority in the country of 40 million people, writes Al Jazeera online.
The Pashtuns are Afghanistan’s biggest ethnic group, making up more than 42 percent of the population. The predominantly Sunni Muslim community speaks the Pashto language and has dominated Afghan politics since the 18th century, the report mentioned.
Taliban sources also told Al Jazeera the caretaker government will have an “amir-ulmomineen” (commander of the faithful) to lead the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
They reportedly said a supreme leadership council has been convened to decide the form of the future government and nominate ministers.
Key ministries up for nominations include the judiciary, internal security, defence, foreign affairs, finance, information and a special assignment for Kabul’s affairs.
Taliban co-founder Mullah Baradar is in the capital, Kabul, while Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, son of Taliban founder Mullah Omar, has travelled from Kandahar for the initial consultations on government formation, the sources said to the channel.
The sources added that the group wants to bring new faces in to the government, including the sons of Tajik and Uzbek tribal leaders.
They reportedly said the United States has been insisting on bringing in some members of the older governments, including former President Hamid Karzai and former Head of Afghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah.
