Taliban Supreme leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada has made several changes to Afghanistan’s governance structure, shuffling several ministers and deputies. However, the latest round of changes has been characterized by the transfer of Haibatullah’s close aides to northern provinces, where the Taliban are trying to grapple with a deteriorating security situation and threats from Islamic State Khorasan Province, which has recently claimed responsibility for multiple terror attacks.

The supreme leader has appointed the former Kandahar Police Commander Samiullah Hezbullah as the new governor for Takhar. Sources said the Hezbullah is one of the closest aides to the supreme leader and Haibatullah hopes that he will be able to control the situation in Takhar. Meanwhile, former Helmand Governor Abdul Ahad Talib has been appointed the new police commander for Kandahar province.

Recently, ISKP claimed responsibility for the assassination of a Chinese national in Takhar and yesterday said it had targeted a Taliban official in the neighboring Kunduz province. The focus of the supreme leader is on Northern Afghanistan as the influence of the ISKP has been concentrated in the northern provinces. According to reports, the supreme leader of the Taliban deployed Kandahar’s Taliban forces to Northern Afghanistan and also appointed key officials from Kandahar to overcome the threats of ISKP.

Although the Interim Afghan Government claims that the ISKP has been eliminated in the country and has no power to carry out any attacks against others from Afghanistan, the international community has expressed their concern regarding the presence of the group in the country. The UN Security Council recently said that ISKP still has a presence inside Afghanistan, and they try to threaten other countries as well.

This is not the first time that changes on provincial and central levels have taken place in the Taliban government. However, of late high and mid-level officials are changing very quickly based on the supreme leader’s decrees or some of them have been fired as well. 

According to sources, the other new changes and exchanges the officials from one place to another are normal processes in the government made through the decree of the supreme leader. The source in the government said that the changes are made based on efficiency and the needs of the relevant officials. 

In addition to announcing the changes in Takhar and Kandahar, spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that several other Taliban leaders have been transferred across departments and provinces.

Mujahid that the former governor of Takhar, Obaidullah Amin Zada, has been appointed the deputy minister for labor and social affairs and the former Deputy Minister of Mines and Petroleum Ziaurahman Aryoubi was appointed as a new deputy minister for the Ministry of Higher Education. 

The statement added that the former head of the monitoring department of the central bank Abdurahman Qanit has been appointed a new deputy minister for mines and petroleum and the former deputy minister for the Ministry of Higher Education Lutfullah KhairKhwa has been appointed the new head of the central bank's monitoring department.