Prominent leaders in Taliban's new government

• Sirajuddin Haqqani will be interior minister in the new regime.
• Mullah Yaqoob is named as defence minister in the new government.
• Several other cabinet posts are yet to be announced.

KABUL: Taliban on Tuesday announced prominent posts for their new government after they seized control of the country and ousted the previous regime last month.

Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund, who is on a UN sanctions list, was named as a leader, while Taliban co-founder Abdul Ghani Baradar will be his deputy.

The Taliban’s inner workings and leadership have long been shrouded in secrecy — even when they ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

Several cabinet posts are yet to be announced. Here is a rundown of what is known:

Mohammad Hassan Akhund — acting prime minister

Mullah Mohammed Hassan Akhund is a Taliban veteran who was a close associate and political adviser to Mullah Omar, the founder of the movement and its first supreme leader.

A member of the group’s Supreme Council, he served as deputy foreign minister in their previous regime, and was placed on a UN Security Council sanctions list connected to the “acts and activities” of the Taliban.

From Kandahar, he also served as the Taliban governor of the key province.

The United Nations said he had a reputation of having been “one of the most effective Taliban commanders”.

Mullah Baradar — the co-founder

Abdul Ghani Baradar, named as deputy to Hassan, was raised in Kandahar — the birthplace of the Taliban movement.

Like most Afghans, Baradar's life was forever altered by the Soviet invasion of the country in the late 1970s.

He was believed to have fought side-by-side with Mullah Omar.

The two would go on to found the Taliban movement in the early 1990s during the chaos and corruption of the civil war that followed the Soviet withdrawal.

After the Taliban regime was toppled in 2001 by US-led forces, Baradar is believed to have been among a small group of Taliban who approached interim leader Hamid Karzai with a potential deal that would have seen them recognise the new administration.

Arrested in Pakistan in 2010, Baradar was kept in custody until pressure from the United States saw him freed in 2018 and relocated to Qatar.

This is where he was appointed head of the Taliban's political office and oversaw the signing of the troop withdrawal agreement with the United States.

Sirajuddin Haqqani — interior minister 

The son of a famed commander, Sirajuddin Haqqani has doubled as the deputy leader of the Taliban and head of the powerful Haqqani network.

He will be interior minister in the new regime.

The Haqqani network is a US-designated terror group long viewed as one of the most dangerous militant factions in Afghanistan.

Known for their independence, fighting acumen, and savvy business dealings, the Haqqanis are mainly based in eastern Afghanistan and hold considerable sway over the Taliban's leadership council.

Mullah Yaqoob — defence minister

The son of Taliban co-founder Mullah Omar, Mullah Yaqoob heads the group's powerful commission, which oversaw the vast network of field commanders charged with executing the takeover.

On Tuesday, he was named as defence minister.

Yaqoob's father enjoyed cult-like status as the Taliban leader, and that potent lineage makes him a unifying figure in the movement.