Taliban's Political Leader Mullah Baradar To Lead New Government In Afghanistan

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The head of the political office of the Taliban movement, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, will reportedly head the new government of Afghanistan. It is expected that the Taliban may announce the composition of their cabinet on September 3.

According to the Reuters news agency, the new Afghanistan’s administration headed by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar will also include the son of the first Taliban leader Mullah Omar, Mullah Yaqoob, and the group’s representative in Doha, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai.

The Taliban’s religious leader Haibatullah Akhunzada, will focus on religious matters and governance within the framework of Islam.

“All the top leaders have arrived in Kabul, where preparations are in final stages to announce the new government,” one Taliban official told Reuters, on condition of anonymity.

Abdul Ghani Baradar is a co-founder and the senior deputy leader of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Before becoming the head of the Taliban’s political office, he held senior positions in the Taliban during their rule from 1996 to 2001. Following the US-led invasion in 2001, he headed the militant group of the Taliban’s leaders in Pakistan. In 2010, he was imprisoned. According to some reports, he had been secretly discussing a peace deal with the Afghan officials. After being released at the request of the United States in 2018, he headed the Taliban’s political office.

However, the Reuter’s report came days after the Taliban Culture Commission member Anamullah Samangani told TOLOnews that another leader of the movement, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, could head the government of Afghanistan. At the same time, Abdul Ghani Baradar was said to become a new Foreign Minister.

Taking into account Baradar’s ties with the U.S. and his role in Doha negotiations, his nomination as the head of the new government is highly likely.