Leadership Succession Exposes Rift in Taliban Ranks

Local Editor

The announcement of the 2013 death of Taliban's elusive leader Mullah Omar had reportedly exposed divisions within the senior ranks of the Afghan militant group over the new leadership.

Citing Afghan and Pakistani officials, Turkey's Anadolu news agency said that sources had reported a rift among Taliban militants over the recent appointment of Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour as the group's new leader.

A senior Pakistani intelligence official speaking on the condition of anonymity said many of the senior Taliban members were in favor of Mullah Omar's son, Mullah Yaqoob, replacing his father.

This is while Afghan government sources said that Mullah Omar had chosen former deputy and co-founder of the movement, Mullah Baradar Akhund, who is seen as being more inclined to peace talks with Kabul, as his successor.

Reports also pointed to differences between Taliban members over peace talks with Kabul, with some vowing to fight for power instead of taking part in negotiations.
The Taliban announced the appointment of the new leader in a statement on its website on Friday.

Mansour was a former governor of Kandahar during the Taliban's rule over Afghanistan prior to the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, the purported chief of the Taliban-linked Haqqani militant group, and Haibatullah Akhunzada, a shadow Taliban chief justice, had also been named as deputy chiefs.

Furthermore, peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban militants had also been put on hold in the wake of Omar's death.

As the founder of the Taliban, Omar brought the militant group to power following the withdrawal of the Soviet forces from Afghanistan in the 1990s. He was ousted in 2001 as part of Washington's so-called war on terror.

The Taliban had been operating in both Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan over the past years.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team