Council May Rule Afghanistan, Taliban To Reach Out To Soldiers, Pilots

The Taliban would reach out to former pilots, soldiers from the Afghan forces to join its ranks, said Waheedullah Hashimi, who has access to the group's decision-making

Afghanistan may be governed by a ruling council now that the Taliban has taken over, while the Islamist terrorist movement's supreme leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, would likely remain in overall charge, a senior member of the group told Reuters. The Taliban would also reach out to former pilots and soldiers from the Afghan armed forces to join its ranks, Waheedullah Hashimi, who has access to the group's decision-making, added in an interview. How successful that recruitment is remains to be seen. Thousands of soldiers have been killed by Taliban terrorists over the last 20 years, and recently the group targeted U.S.-trained Afghan pilots because of their pivotal role. The power structure that Hashimi outlined would bear similarities to how Afghanistan was run the last time the Taliban were in power from 1996 to 2001. Then, supreme leader Mullah Omar remained in the shadows and left the day-to-day running of the country to a council.