Mullah Haibatullah Akhunzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, said the new government will work towards upholding sharia law in Afghanistan.
“I assure all the countrymen that the figures will work hard towards upholding Islamic rules and sharia law in the country,” Akhundzada said in a statement today.
He told Afghans the new leadership would ensure “lasting peace, prosperity and development”, adding that “people should not try to leave the country”.
“The Islamic Emirate has no problem with anyone,” he said.
“All will take part in strengthening the system and Afghanistan and in this way, we will rebuild our war-torn country.”
In response to the Taliban announcement, the United States said it was concerned about the “affiliations and track records” of some of the people named to government.
“We also reiterate our clear expectation that the Taliban ensure that Afghan soil is not used to threaten any other countries and allow humanitarian access in support of the Afghan people,” a State Department spokesman said in a statement.
United Nations spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters in New York that only a “negotiated and inclusive settlement will bring sustainable peace to Afghanistan”.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would closely follow the new government’s future course saying he did not know how long the new government’s current makeup would last.
“As you know just now, it’s hard to call it permanent, but an interim cabinet has been announced,” Erdogan told reporters during a joint media appearance with visiting DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi.
