Taliban Nears Formation of New Government... Expected to Dominate Key Positions

"No Sharing with Other Forces or Government," Clarified
Considering Economic Sanctions, Establishing an Autocratic System Seems Difficult

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] With the withdrawal of U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan completed, it is reported that the Taliban-led new Afghan government formation process is also nearing its final stages. The Taliban had previously announced externally that they would form an inclusive government encompassing various political factions within Afghanistan, but concerns have arisen that they will monopolize key core positions. However, since the Taliban urgently need the cooperation of local warlords amid international economic sanctions and an all-out conflict with terrorist organizations such as IS Khorasan (IS-K), it is also expected that they will not establish an autocratic regime like during their first rule.

According to Al Jazeera on the 30th (local time), Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhunzada and other key Taliban leaders have been holding meetings since the previous day in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan, regarding the formation of the new government. The Taliban leadership is expected to officially announce the new government formation plan on the 31st.

Previously, the Taliban stated they would form an inclusive government encompassing various political factions within Afghanistan, but with the completion of the U.S. withdrawal, it is known that they are considering a government formation centered around Taliban leaders. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said in an interview with Voice of America (VOA) the day before, "The cabinet is almost finalized, and I want to make it clear that the new government formation does not involve sharing power with other factions." Earlier, the Taliban had already appointed many senior Taliban officials to key positions such as Minister of Finance, Minister of Interior, and Mayor of Kabul.

However, the prevailing view is that the Taliban will find it difficult to establish a dictatorship like during their first rule in 1996. This is interpreted as due to concerns that prolonged economic sanctions by the U.S. and the international community could worsen the economic crisis. CNN pointed out, "Foreign aid funds have accounted for 75% of the government budget and about 40% of Afghanistan's gross domestic product (GDP). However, all these funding sources are currently frozen," adding, "The Taliban have no choice but to be cautious of the international community to have the sanctions lifted."

There is also analysis that, since terrorist organizations like IS-K, which recently carried out the Kabul airport attack, must be cracked down on, the Taliban need to bring in local warlord forces as much as possible. The U.S. political media Axios reported, "With 28 Taliban members killed in the Kabul airport attack, the Taliban must immediately launch a crackdown on IS-K," and "Since many trained officials must be reinstated for national governance to be possible, the Taliban will try to compromise with various factions."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.