Son of Taliban godfather Mullah Omar, Mohammad Yaqoob appeared in public for the first time via a televised event, as Taliban pushes the vision of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
The televised event saw Mohammad Yaqoob who is Afghanistan’s new defence minister, appealing to local businessmen to invest in hospitals and clinics, signalling the Taliban are emerging from the shadows.
It is widely reported that during his regin Mullah Omar rarely appeared in public, and photos of him were banned.
Even when the one-eyed cleric died in 2013, the news was not made public for more than two years.
But since the Taliban returned to power in mid-August after a 20-year war against a US-backed government, its ministers have been taking a more open public and political role.
“Let’s spend some money here, businessmen brothers have to come here to build hospitals, clinics, doctors have to come here too,” Yaqoob said, at the Sardar Mohammad Dawood Khan military hospital in Kabul.
Afghanistan’s health sector has been shattered by war and Afghanistan’s economy has ground to a halt since the return of the Taliban, who remain under international sanctions.
Thousands are seeking treatment abroad, adding to chaos at the borders as others flee Taliban rule.
Yaqoob was once head of the powerful military commission and benefited from the aura of his late father’s cult-like status in the movement.