Taliban planning to hold oath-taking ceremony on 20th anniversary of 9/11 attacks

The interim government of the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan (IEA) is likely to take the oath of office on September 11, a day which also marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the US in 2001. Speculations are rife that,invitations have already been rolled out to China, Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, Qatar, India and the US. A ceremony is being planned in Kabul though the date has not been finalised. It is also not confirmed whether the Taliban want 9/11 to be the date to embarrass the United States. After capturing Afghanistan, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid had said that there was no proof that Osama bin Laden was involved in the September 11 attack. “When Osama bin Laden became an issue for the Americans, he was in Afghanistan. Although there was no proof he was involved," he had said to NBC News.

After postponing it twice, the Taliban announced its interim Cabinet on Tuesday, under the leadership of Taliban's supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada."We recognize that peace and stability are a must for investments. We want good relations with all the neighbors, including China," said Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Taliban. "The war has ended, the country is getting out of the crisis. It is now the time for peace and reconstruction. We need people to support us. Afghanistan has the right to be recognized. The international community should open their embassies in Kabul," he added.

However, the international community is still not ready to recognize the announced interim government of the Taliban and has raised questions over the non-inclusivity of various other ethnic groups. It is also not happy with the representation of various old guards of the Taliban in the new setup, who carries a bounty on their heads and are listed as proscribed terrorists by the United Nations and other global platforms. The interim Prime Minister, Mohammad Hassan Akhund, is under UN sanctions. Sirajuddin Haqqani, named the acting Interior Minister, is on the FBI's most-wanted list with a bounty of $10 million on his head. Khalil Haqqani, appointed as the acting Minister for Refugees, also carries a $5 million bounty on his head.