Taliban Pledges to Form New Government within Week, Appoint Women Ministers

The Taliban (AN Afghani Islamist militant movement)  has vowed to form a new government for the country within the next few days.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the movement  told "Reuters", a news agency,  that the new government "will not include only ministers, but also leaders."

Mujahid admitted that it is difficult at the present time to predict whether women will join the cabinet.

He explained that the final decision in this regard will be decided by the senior leaders of the movement.

Mujahid stated that the "Taliban" has so far appointed governors and police chiefs in 33 out of 34 provinces of Panjshir, which is still outside the movement's control.

He pointed out that the movement had appointed officials to run key institutions such as the ministries of health and education and the central bank.

He added that he expected that the recent significant economic turmoil that damaged the Afghan currency would ease in recent times.

He said that the "Taliban" is working to find solutions to the problems related to the currency and the economy in the country, appealing to the United States, Britain, and other Western countries to maintain their diplomatic relations with Afghanistan.

On the other hand, United Nations ( UN) officials have appealed for $800 million to fill a chronic funding gap for Afghanistan.

A senior UN aid official described the situation in the country as “catastrophic” with at least a third of the population expected to face starvation.

“Humanitarian needs are catastrophic, widespread, and increasing,” said Wafa Saeed Abdul Latif of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in a virtual intervention.

She pointed out that the United Nations has appealed for $ 1.3 billion to reach 16 million people in Afghanistan this year, but there is still a gap of $ 800 million.”

The UN has warned that millions of Afghans may face starvation due to conflict, drought, and the Coronavirus pandemic, and said that 14 million people are now standing on the brink of starvation.

“Afghanistan is in the wind due to years of drought, conflict, and economic decline exacerbated by COVID-19,” said David Beasley, Executive Director of the World Food Programme.