Taliban to form a 12-member council to run Afghanistan: Sources

Sources close to the Taliban leadership told the American publication Foreign Policy that the group will form a 12-member council to run the country.

According to the report, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban’s political deputy; Mullah Mohammad Yaqub, the son of Mullah Mohammad Omar; and Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, a senior member of Haqqani network will be included in the council.

“Our elders are busy. Consultations about a political system are underway. When we conclude our consultations, we will be witness to the system,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman.

Hamid Karzai, Abdullah Abdullah and Gulbuddin Hekmatyar will also be members of this council, reports indicated.

“Mullah Barada can work with other partners to form a truly inclusive government,” said Sayed Hafizullah Naqi, a member of the leadership of Hezb -i- Islami.

According to the report, the Taliban are ready to give some members of the previous government some ministries as they want to form an inclusive government.

The Taliban, meanwhile, have said they will not form a government while the United States has a military presence in Afghanistan.

The Council of Shiite Ulema also reiterated the need for an inclusive government to be formed by the Taliban.

“Creating an Islamic system acceptable to all and forming an inclusive government is our desire,” said an Ulema member Sayed Hussain Alami Balkhi.

Afghanistan has been in a political and legal vacuum for ten days, with sources saying the Taliban will not announce the formation of a government until the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan is complete.

“A broad-based, comprehensive and inclusive Islamic system should be formed with the participation of all ethnic groups, brothers of Afghanistan,” said Mohammad Akbari, a member of the Shiite Council of Afghanistan.

In such a situation, one of the obstacles to forming an inclusive government with the Taliban is Ahmad Massoud’s opposition to the Taliban in Panjshir. Although political talks are ongoing to resolve the stalemate between the two sides, both sides have warned each other of the possibility of using the military option.