Mawlawi Abdul Kabir Becomes New PM of Afghanistan Due to Hassan Akhund’s Illness

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan has appointed Mawlawi Abdul Kabir as the new acting Prime Minister of the country, replacing Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund who was unwell for quite some time. Abdul Kabir, who is said to be very close to the Pakistan establishment and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), was given the top post by the leader of the Islamic Emirate Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada.

Taliban said Hassan Akhund, who has served as the PM since the group’s return to power in 2021, was unwell and will remain off duty until he recovers.

Abdul Kabir, who is a hardliner, has been named in many suicide attacks in the past and also blacklisted by the United Nations (UN).

Sources told exclusively to CNN-News18 that Hassan Akhund had gone to Kandahar city during Eid and not returned yet. Kandahari leadership has not issued any statement yet.

The caretaker Prime Minister Abdul Kabir, who hails from the Zadran tribe in eastern Paktika province, previously served as the governor of Nangarhar province during the Taliban’s former regime from 1996 to 2001.

He is an international face of Taliban and was member of the group’s negotiation team in Qatar. He assumed various roles within the organisation.

When the Taliban seized power in August 2021 as US and NATO forces were pulling out of Afghanistan after two decades of war, Abdul Kabir was appointed as the assistant to Hassan Akhund’s economic deputy, he later took on the position of the political deputy to the Taliban’s Prime Minister. Later, he was promoted to Deputy Prime Minister for political affairs.

Taliban has refused to comment on his role in suicide attacks in the past.