All news

Taliban appoints former Guantanamo inmate as Afghanistan's defense minister — Al Jazeera

Adul Qayyum Zakir is one of the Taliban's main field commanders, who performed combat missions and commanded radical militants

MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/. The Taliban radical movement (outlawed in Russia) has appointed a former inmate of the Guantanamo prison Adul Qayyum Zakir as Afghanistan's acting defense minister, Qatar's TV broadcaster Al Jazeera quoted sources in the movement as saying.

Zakir is one of the Taliban's main field commanders, who performed combat missions and commanded radical militants. After the beginning of the military operation by the US and Western forces in Afghanistan (2001-2014) he participated in clashes on the movement's side. US forces seized him and sent to jail at the Bagram base, from where he was transferred to Guantanamo. After regaining freedom, he joined the Taliban again.

On Tuesday, the movement appointed several acting government ministers and chiefs of government agencies. According to the news agency Pajhwok, Sadr Ibrahim is acting Interior Minister, Gul Agha, acting finance minister and Najibullah will perform the duties of the chief of intelligence services. The movement also appointed education and higher education ministers and the governor of the capital Kabul.

On April 14, US President Joe Biden declared his decision to curtail the operation in Afghanistan. The Taliban promptly launched a large-scale offensive operation to establish control of the country. Its forces entered Kabul on August 15 without encountering any resistance and had the city under control within a matter of hours.

Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani left the country. He said he did so to prevent bloodshed. Vice-President Amrullah Saleh said that under the Constitution he was to perform the duties of the head of state and called for armed resistance to the Taliban. The Western countries have been evacuating their citizens and embassy personnel.