Taliban Supreme Leader appoints new Acting PM of Afghanistan

Hibatullah Akhundzada in a special decree has appointed Mawlawi Abdul Kabir as the new acting Prime Minister of Afghanistan

Kabul: Talibans Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada in a special decree has appointed Mawlawi Abdul Kabir as the new acting Prime Minister of Afghanistan.

It is reported that acting Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund is unwell and until he recovers, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir will serve as the head of the Taliban government, TOLO News reported.

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Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund has served as the Prime Minister of the Taliban government since the group’s return to power in 2021.

Although the Taliban authorities have not provided any details about Mullah Hassan’s illness, sources had previously said that he was suffering from heart disease, Khaama Press reported.

Mawlawi Abdul Kabir is from the eastern Paktika province and it is said he belongs to the Zadran tribe.

He served as the governor of Nangarhar province during the former regime of the Taliban from 1996-2001.

It is said after the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, he then served as the head of the Peshawar Council.

Mawlawi Kabir is one of the senior members of the Taliban who has played a significant role in the group’ negotiations with the US in Qatar, which resulted in the signing of the Doha Agreement between the US and the Taliban.

After the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, Mawlawi Kabir was initially appointed as the assistant to the economic deputy of Mullah Hasan and later as the political deputy of the Taliban Prime Minister, Khaama Press reported.