The Taliban has named a 12-member council and the seven candidates that had been already agreed on including ex-Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the High Council for National Reconciliation chief Abdullah Abdullah and Abdul Ghani Baradar.

This was disclosed on Tuesday by a co-founder of the Taliban (banned as a terrorist organisation in Russia), a source close to senior Taliban circles.

“Afghanistan will be governed by a 12-member council, with the exception of the president and the emirate.

“So far, the council has agreed on Abdul Ghani Baradar, (son of Taliban founder) Mullah Yaqub, and a high-ranking member of the Haqqani network terrorist group, Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani.

Others are; Dr Abdullah Abdullah, Hamid Karzai, (ex-Afghan Interior Minister) Hanif Atmar and the leader of the Party of Islam, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar,’’ the source said.

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Talks were underway to appoint the remaining five members of the council, Afghan National Army Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum and ex-Balkh province governor Atta Mohammad Noor may not join the council, the source added.

The Taliban have not yet commented officially