Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has made two key Cabinet changes, a move condemned on Saturday as “unacceptable” by his powerful governing partner, Abdullah Abdullah, at a time when the US is ratcheting up the pressure to reach a peace agreement with the Taliban.
In May 2020, Ghani and political rival Abdullah signed a power-sharing agreement, two months after both declared themselves the winner of the September 2019 presidential election.
Under the deal, Ghani remained president of the war-torn nation while Abdullah was named head of the country’s National Reconciliation Council, which has the authority to handle and approve all affairs related to Afghanistan’s peace process.