Taliban form all-male hard-line government

Interim Cabinet full of veterans of harsh ’90s rule, battle against U.s.-led coalition.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — The Taliban on Tuesday announced an all-male interim government for Afghanistan stacked with veterans of their hard-line rule from the 1990s and the 20-year battle against the U.s.-led coalition, a move that seems unlikely to win the international support the new leaders desperately need to avoid an economic meltdown.

What happened

Appointed to the key post of interior minister was Sirajuddin Haqqani, who is on the FBI’S mostwanted list with a $5 million bounty on his head and is believed to still be holding at least one American hostage. He headed the feared Haqqani network blamed for many deadly attacks and kidnappings.

The announcement came hours after Taliban fired guns into the air to disperse protesters in the capital of Kabul and arrested several journalists, the second time in less than a week that heavy-handed tactics were used to break up a protest.

Why it matters

Drawn mostly from Afghanistan’s dominant Pashtun ethnic group, the Cabinet’s lack of other ethnic groups also seems certain to hobble its support from abroad.

As much as 80% of Afghanistan’s budget comes from the global community, and a long-running economic crisis has worsened in recent months. Near daily flights from Qatar bring in humanitarian aid, but the needs are massive, and the Taliban can hardly afford isolation.

In announcing the Cabinet, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid emphasized the appointments were temporary. He did not say how long they would serve and what would be the catalyst for a change.

Since taking over Afghanistan in mid-august after U.S. troops withdrew, the Taliban have shown no indications they will hold elections.

The interim prime minister, Mullah Hasan Akhund, also headed the Taliban government in Kabul during the last years of its rule. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, who had led talks with the U.S. and signed the deal that led to the withdrawal, will be one of two deputies to Akhund.

Fear from women, world

A policy statement with the Cabinet announcement sought to allay fears of Afghanistan’s neighbors and the rest of the world but was unlikely to calm fears of women, who got no posts. The statement spoke of protecting rights of minorities and the underprivileged and vowed education “to all countrymen within the framework of Sharia.”

MUHAMMAD FAROOQ/AP Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid addresses a news conference Tuesday in Kabul, Afghanistan, as the Taliban announced a caretaker Cabinet full of hard-liners.