In this undated and unknown location photo, the then new leader of Taliban fighters, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada poses for a portrait. (PHOTO / AP)
KABUL – The Afghan caretaker government's supreme leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada has appointed Deputy Prime Minister Mawlawi Abdul Kabir as the acting prime minister, chief government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said.
"Since esteemed acting Prime Minister Mullah Hassan Akhund is sick and needs treatment and rest in Kandahar for some time, esteemed Mawlawi Abdul Kadir has been appointed to take charge of the Premier Office affairs," Mujahid said on his Twitter account on Wednesday.
Mawlawi Kabir served as the deputy prime minister on political affairs and a member of the Taliban negotiating team with the United States on the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan in August 2021.
As an influential member of the Taliban, he served as the governor of Nangarhar province during the previous regime of the Taliban, which collapsed in 2001 after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan.