Afghanistan: Taliban appoint deputy ministers in all-male government

The Taliban announced a list of deputy ministers on Tuesday, failing to name any women, despite an international outcry when they presented their all-male Cabinet ministers earlier this month.

The list was presented by government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid at a new conference in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

The list of deputy ministers signals that the Taliban have not been swayed by the international criticism and that they're doubling down on their current hard-line path despite initial promises of inclusivity and upholding women's rights.

The newly-formed Taliban government is an interim one and will include women, minorities and professionals over a period of time, Mujahed told reporters in Kabul Tuesday.

The group is working to add women in government positions and to improve its cabinet with the addition of experts, Mujahed said, even though he gave no timeframe for when this would happen.

The comments appear to be at odds with the Taliban government’s move last week to open schools only for boys. The Ministry of Education then made no mention of girls being allowed to resume classes, signaling that there may be restrictions on them, contrary to what the group had promised earlier.