According to the International Crisis Group commenting on 9 September 2021, there were no real surprises when, on 7 September 2021, the Taliban announced the names of various officials whose task is to form a new interim government. According to AP News reporting on 23 September 2021, it would appear that officials intend to re-introduce harsh Sharia punishments (including amputations and executions), but these would probably not be carried out in public. World Watch Research analyst Thomas Muller explains: "All calls for an inclusive government went unheard. It came as no surprise that none of those serving in the former government were included in the Taliban government (with the possible exception of the Minister of Health - in recognition of the dire COVID-19 situation in the country), nor that there were no women included. The fact that the ethnic set-up is almost exclusively Pashtun - of the 33 ministers only two are Tajik and one Uzbek -‚  shows that consolidation of power and unity within the Taliban movement were the dominant motives. The inclusion of ministers still appearing as "˜wanted" on international terrorist lists and the strong representation of the Haqqani network (which has strong ties with Pakistan) show that another main goal may have been to share the spoils of victory. The latter point also sheds light on a very visible visit by Pakistan"s Chief of Intelligence (and potential next army chief) in Kabul during the time of government-building. It is likely that one of the reasons for the visit was to assist in brokering between the various factions (Gandhara, 7 September 2021). There is little hope that any "˜final" government would be any more inclusive, though. The first Taliban government was termed "˜interim" throughout their time in power between 1996 and 2001." Thomas Muller continues: "Despite the planned re-introduction of severe Sharia measures, there are already fears that the position of the Islamic State group (IS) may be strengthened if disgruntled factions of the Taliban or other groups join their forces or when extremists who have been freed from prison swell their ranks (Foreign Affairs, 14 September 2021). Likewise, any cooperation between the Taliban and US forces against IS, even a tacit one, has the potential not just to be exploited for propaganda, but also to strengthen IS ranks. Such a cooperation, however, would by no means be unprecedented, as explained by an article in War on the Rocks, published on 16 September 2021. Any such cooperation would be bad news for all the ethnic and religious minorities in Afghanistan. These would be likely to become targeted all the more, and be it just to bolster the religious credentials of the respective Islamic fighting faction."