"Former U.S. Citizen and Ex-Interior Minister Appointed as Head of Afghan Interim Government"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Major foreign media outlets reported on the 15th (local time), citing diplomatic sources, that Ali Ahmad Jalali (81), a politician and scholar who served as the Minister of Interior during Afghanistan's transitional government, is highly likely to be appointed as the head of the transitional government during the power transfer period in Afghanistan.

Although the Taliban has not given final approval to appoint Jalali as the head of the transitional government, sources said they view him as an "acceptable compromise figure."

Jalali was born in Kabul in 1940 and acquired U.S. citizenship in 1987.

He also worked for 20 years starting in 1982 at Voice of America (VOA), operated by the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), a federal government agency.

Jalali was appointed Minister of Interior in the transitional government established after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan and returned to Afghanistan in January 2003.

He was reappointed as Minister of Interior in December 2004 under the Hamid Karzai administration and held the position until September 2005.

At that time, President Karzai required cabinet members to renounce dual citizenship, so Jalali is believed not to currently hold U.S. citizenship.

He is also a scholar with numerous publications on political and security issues in Afghanistan and the Middle East.

Jalali is known to have lectured at U.S. military educational institutions, including serving as a distinguished professor at the National Defense University.

The Afghan armed group Taliban currently controls virtually the entire country and is negotiating with the Afghan government regarding the power transfer.

After the U.S. military began withdrawing in May, the Taliban launched a major offensive and regained control of Afghanistan within about three months.