Taliban Appoints Mullah Hamidullah Akhundzada as Deputy Defense Minister

The Taliban administration has announced that Mullah Hamidullah Akhundzada, former Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, has been appointed as the First Deputy Minister of Defense by the order of the group’s leader and was officially introduced today.

At the introduction ceremony, Mohammad Fasihuddin Fetrat, the Chief of Staff of the Taliban Armed Forces, stated that organizational changes are a common practice aimed at improving operational processes. He did not provide further details regarding the reasons for this reshuffle.

Mullah Hamidullah Akhundzada previously held the position of Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation. This change occurs as the Taliban administration, over the past four years, has largely appointed key security and defense positions from close associates of its leadership.

Despite the Taliban officials emphasizing the normalcy of such reshuffles, critics continue to cite a lack of transparency in the appointment process and the absence of public participation in the power structure as fundamental challenges facing the current Afghan regime.