Afghanistan's cabinet nearly to be completed

Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, speaker of the parliament's lower house, said on Saturday that the decision now means the 25-member Cabinet of President Ashraf Ghani is nearly complete.

The announcement came after months of stalemate.

According to the Associated Press, there are four women among the newly appointed ministers, including Farida Momand as higher education minister, Nasreen Oryakhil as labor minister, Dilbar Nazari as women's affairs minister and Salamat Azimi as counter-narcotics minister.

Though a power-sharing deal between President Ghani and CEO Abdulla Abdullah was seen as staving off the threat of a civil war, the delays have raised fears of instability in the country as NATO groups withdraw after 13 years of fight against Taliban.

The lack of ministers has caused problems throughout Ghani's government, slowing the work and upsetting many in the country.

The crucial post of defense minister must still be approved by parliament as Ghani and CEO Abdullah Abdullah have reportedly disagreed on who to nominate for the position.

Public criticism over the failure to appoint a defense minister has been especially fierce, with many linking the leadership vacuum with a recent upward trend in deadly insurgent attacks.

On Saturday, a suicide bomb exploded outside a bank in eastern city of Jalalabad, killing at least 33 people and wounding more than 100 others.

ra/kms (AP, AFP)