Taliban appoints ex-Guantanamo detainee as Defence Minister of Afghanistan: Reports

Days after taking over power in Afghanistan, the Taliban on Wednesday made several appointments for key positions in the war-torn country. Former Guantanamo detainee Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir has been appointed as the acting Defence Minister, Qatar-based Al Jazeera news channel reported, citing a source in the Islamist movement.

An ethnic Pashtun and a member of the Alizai tribe, Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir, who served as the deputy chief of the Taliban, was arrested by US forces after their invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. After over 6 years of imprisonment, Zakir had told American officials at a hearing in 2007,

"I have seen pictures that Afghanistan is being rebuilt, and I am happy that Americans are rebuilding my country." He added that he had no grievances against the American administration, and further expressed his desire to get back to his family and join his family work.

Taking into consideration his statement, the Americans had freed him from imprisonment in Guantanamo. 

Key appointments by Taliban 

In line with forming the government at the earliest, the Taliban on Wednesday made other appointments as well. As per reports, Najibullah has been given the post of Intelligence Chief of Afghanistan while the post of the Finance Minister has been given to Gul Agha. Sakhaullah has been made the Head of Education, and Abdul Baqi will be the acting Head of Higher Education. Sadr Ibrahim has been named as the acting interior minister.

The appointment comes a day after sources informed that the Taliban will be ruling through a 12-member council. The source close to senior Taliban circles was quoted by ANI as saying, 

"Afghanistan would be governed by a 12-member council, with the exception of the president and the emirate. So far, the council has agreed on Abdul Ghani Baradar, son of Taliban founder Mullah Yaqub, a high-ranking member of the Haqqani network terrorist group Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani,  High Council for National Reconciliation Dr Abdullah Abdullah, former president Hamid Karzai, ex-Afghan Interior Minister Hanif Atmar and leader of the Party of Islam Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Several discussions are going on to nominate the remaining five members of the council."

Following the collapse of capital city Kabul last Sunday, the Taliban are in the process of creating a new administration in Afghanistan.