Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid announces the lineup of a caretaker cabinet for new Afghanistan government at a press conference in Kabul on Sept 7. (SAIFURAHMAN SAFI  XINHUA)

The establishment of the Taliban’s caretaker government marks a new beginning for peaceful reconstruction of war-torn Afghanistan amid formidable internal and external challenges, analysts said.

“Let the dreadful chapters of death and devastation be closed and the people of Afghanistan begin with fresh hope for a better future,” said Salman Bashir, a former foreign secretary of Pakistan and former ambassador to China, adding that the international community should extend full support to the interim cabinet to alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people.

In his first statement since the Taliban’s takeover of the capital, Kabul, in mid-August, Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada said on Sept 7 that the new leadership would ensure “lasting peace, prosperity and development”.

He noted that the newly formed Taliban caretaker government will begin functioning soon, and that Afghanistan will be committed to all international laws, treaties and commitments not in conflict with Sharia law.

The Taliban leader urged people not to try to leave the country as everyone will take part in strengthening Afghanistan, and “in this way, we will rebuild our war-torn country”. 

The ultimate goal of the acting government will be to “put the country on its feet as soon as possible”, he said.

The caretaker government, with Mullah Hassan Akhund named as acting prime minister, was announced late in the evening on Sept 7. A Kandahari Pashtun, Akhund has studied in Pakistan, kept a relatively low-profile and once served as the governor of Kandahar, foreign minister and deputy prime minister before 2001.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a press conference that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Abdul Salam Hanafi were named as the acting deputy prime ministers, while Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, son of the late Taliban co-founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, was appointed acting defense minister.

Amir Khan Muttaqi was named the acting foreign minister while Sirajuddin Haqqani, son of the founder of the Haqqani network, was named the acting interior minister. Abas Stanikzai was appointed the acting deputy foreign minister.

Spokesman Mujahid said the caretaker team will carry out the necessary government work, and that efforts will be made to include people from various parts of the country in the new administration.

In Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Sept 8 that China is paying close attention to the formation of the interim Afghan government and the announcements regarding key government posts — moves that have put an end to the anarchic state that Afghanistan has experienced for more than three weeks.

“It is a necessary step for Afghanistan to restore domestic order and begin postwar reconstruction,” Wang said at a daily news conference.

China hopes Afghanistan can form an open and inclusive government, pursue moderate and prudent domestic and foreign policies, resolutely combat terrorist forces in all forms and coexist on friendly terms with all countries, especially its neighbors, Wang said.

Beijing will maintain communication with the acting government in Afghanistan and its leaders, and hopes the new administration will meet the expectations of the Afghan people and the international community, the spokesman added.

The Taliban and the new government face two major challenges, according to Imtiaz Gul, executive director of the Center for Research and Security Studies in Pakistan. 

One will be to gain recognition by the West, including the United States and its allies, while the other is to become acceptable to the majority of the Afghan population, Gul said.

“So until the Taliban accord important positions with authority to non-Taliban stakeholders, it will be difficult for them to effectively rule and neutralize opposition,” he said.

Gul said there could be hurdles to recognition by the West, at least by the US, noting that Sirajuddin Haqqani, who has been named acting interior minister, is on the FBI’s most-wanted list for terrorism.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters at a briefing on Sept 7, aboard Air Force One, as US President Joe Biden flew to New York, that there was no timeline for the recognition of the Taliban government.

Xinhua contributed to this story.

Contact the writers at vivienxu@chinadailyapac.com