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Taliban Prime Minister Achund
Photo: Balkis Press / abaca / picture alliance
Less than three months after his appointment, the current head of government of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Hassan Achund, addressed the citizens of Afghanistan for the first time.
His pre-recorded audio message was released on state television on Saturday night.
In the eagerly anticipated speech, he called on the nation to be grateful for the Taliban regime.
Achund had previously been criticized for not speaking at official meetings.
In mid-August, the militant Islamist Taliban conquered the Afghan capital Kabul and took power after the withdrawal of international NATO troops. They then formed a transitional government with Mullah Mohammed Hassan Achund as the incumbent head of government. Millions of Afghans have since lost their main source of income. UN agencies are warning of a humanitarian crisis in the country.
In his speech, Achund said the Taliban had kept their promises by continuing their fight against foreign forces until an Islamic government was established and the country was stabilized. He claimed that famine, unemployment and price hikes existed in the country before the Taliban came to power. The economic crisis could be resolved if around nine billion dollars of the Afghan central bank reserves, most of which were parked in the United States, were released.
The international community had called on the regime to form a largely representative government and to respect human and women's rights.
Achund said his government was open to everyone and that women's rights were respected.
In the current government, however, more than 90 percent of government officials are from a single ethnic group.
In addition, no women are involved.
cpa / dpa
