Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir, a former detainee in Guantanamo Bay, has been named interim defense minister of Afghanistan, according to Al Jazeera.
Afghan women walk past posters of Taliban leaders and flags in Kabul, Afghanistan on Wednesday, 25th 15th 2021. (Photo: AP)
The Taliban have appointed former Guantanamo detainee Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir as Afghanistan’s interim defense minister, Al Jazeera reported, citing a Taliban source.
Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir is a seasoned Taliban commander and a close associate of Taliban founder Mullah Omar. He was captured by U.S.-led forces in 2001 and was incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay until 2007, according to Reuters. He was released and handed over to the Afghan government.
Guantanamo Bay is a US military maximum security prison in Cuba that holds high-ranking terrorists.
While the Taliban are not yet required to form a formal government in Afghanistan, they have appointed some of their leaders in key positions to rule the country. Haji Mohammad Idris has been appointed “executive director” of Da Afghanistan Bank (DAB), the country’s central bank.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the news, saying Idris was “appointed with the aim of organizing government institutions and banking affairs and addressing people’s problems”.
According to the Afghan news agency Pajhwok, Gul Agha had been appointed by the Taliban as acting finance minister and Sadr Ibrahim as acting interior minister.
With many high-ranking officials and others linked to the former Afghan government in hiding or in exile, the Taliban are trying to get specialists and technical experts to return to their jobs to get the economy going again.
(With inputs from Reuters / Al Jazeera)
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