Informed sources told Afghanistan International that in the past year, Mullah Hibatullah, the Taliban leader, has appointed more than 150 of his close associates from lower positions to higher positions in the name of reforms.
With these changes, it seems that Hibatullah is trying to expand and consolidate his influence.
One-third of these appointments have been made in Afghanistan's southern provinces. Hibatullah has appointed and replaced dozens of people, including ministers, deputies, and commanders of the Taliban's army.
To expand his influence, the Taliban leader has transferred many people from lower positions to ministries, deputies, provinces and top military officials, sources told Afghanistan International.
At the same time, Hibatullah Akhundzada has transferred many Taliban officials in the southern provinces from high positions to lower positions in order to eliminate internal divisions and bring people under his influence and control.
Many of these appointments are made not on the basis of background and work experience, but on the basis of relationships with the Taliban leader.
According to sources, during January of this year, Hibatullah changed and replaced 28 people in the Ministry of Defence.
In February, there were 12 appointments in various departments under the group's control. Similarly, in May this year, 15 more appointments were made in the group's government institutions.
As a result, Hibatullah Akhundzadeh appointed Noor Jalal Jalali as the group's public health minister instead of Qalandar Ebad. He was previously the Taliban's deputy interior minister.
Mohammad Sadiq Inqilabi, the district governor of Gereshk, Helmand, was appointed as the deputy governor of Kandahar and Hayatullah Mubarak, the deputy governor of Kandahar, was appointed as the district governor of Gereshk.
The change of ministers in Hibatullah's cabinet in June and July was met with backlash among the group's supporters. On social media, Taliban supporters criticised their leader for not respecting professional norms and fairness in appointments.
In June, he appointed Mohammad Wazir, the budget chief of the Ministry of Interior, as the head of the Ghazni Disaster Department, and in July, Hedayatullah Badri was removed as the head of Da Afghanistan Bank and appointed as the Minister of Mines and Petroleum.
In July, the Taliban leader also made changes to the Taliban's Ministry of Defence, in which many people from the southern provinces were given senior positions.
Abdullah Bashir, the district governor of Boldak, Kandahar, was appointed as the deputy minister of technology and logistics at the Ministry of Defence.
In recent months, the Taliban leader has made these series of changes in some other institutions as well. He has appointed people he trusts in provinces, ministries and important institutions.
Hibatullah also moved the office of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid to Kandahar. For some time, Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban's foreign minister, has also opened an office in Kandahar and meets with officials from foreign institutions there.
The source said that in addition to appointing trusted people to senior positions, the Taliban leader has also created a special force of several thousand people.
According to sources, Hibatullah's special force is not affiliated with the ministries of interior and defence and receives millions of Afghanis in funding monthly for salaries and other expenses.
