Amazing strides forward, in a country that was very much in the Dark Ages before September 11: Karzai appoints three women to Afghan cabinet. (Hat tip: NY Nana.)

Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai has announced a new cabinet that excludes leading warlords and drug traffickers and includes three women for the first time in the Islamic country’s history.

After 10 weeks of bargaining and hard politicking that followed his victory in the country’s first democratic election, Mr Karzai retained many familiar faces but brought in technocrats to run ministries involved in rehabilitating the economy.

Analysts regard his cabinet list as the real test of whether he can bring in a new era of stability after a quarter-century of conflict.

United States, Nato and government forces continue to fight an insurgency inspired by Taliban militants and al-Qa’eda remnants, following the invasion in the wake of the September 11 attacks, while opium production is booming.

The warlord and former defence minister Gen Mohammed Fahim was dropped in favour of the American-trained Gen Abdul Rahim Wardak. The only former warlord accommodated in the cabinet, as minister for energy, is Ismael Khan.

One of three women appointed in the list of 25 was Massouda Jalal, who was the only female candidate among 17 to oppose Mr Karzai in the elections. She was made minister for women’s affairs.