Taliban appoint ex-detainee at Guantanamo as acting defence min: Report

Earlier in the day, the Taliban appointed a new finance minister, an intelligence chief, and an acting interior minister in Afghanistan, the Pajhwok news agency reported.

Afghanistan’s new rulers have appointed former Guantanamo detainee Abdul Qayyum Zakir as the new Taliban regime’s acting defence minister, Qatar-based Al Jazeera news channel reported on Tuesday, citing a source in the Islamist movement.

WHO officials said 95% of health facilities in Afghanistan remained operational but some female staff had not returned to their posts.

Earlier in the day, the Taliban appointed a new finance minister, an intelligence chief, and an acting interior minister in Afghanistan, the Pajhwok news agency reported. It said Gul Agha would be the finance minister and Sadr Ibrahim would be the acting interior minister. Najibullah would be intelligence chief, while Mullah Shirin would be Kabul governor and Hamdullah Nomani the mayor of the capital.

The reported appointments came even as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the country only has enough supplies to last for a week after deliveries of medical equipment from abroad were blocked by restrictions at Kabul airport.

The WHO was also concerned the current upheaval in Afghanistan could push up Covid-19 infections, with testing dropping by 77% in the past week and vaccinations also down, officials from the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean office said.

WHO officials said 95% of health facilities in Afghanistan remained operational but some female staff had not returned to their posts.