“It’s a huge success for Mullah Mansoor”, a senior member of the Afghan Taliban told NBC News on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
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The latest Taliban prison raid, on the outskirts of the central city of Ghazni, comes after setbacks for the government in different parts of the country and deadly attacks in Kabul which have dashed hopes for peace talks.
“Mullah Mansour accepted all these demands”, the aide said.
He said Mullah Yaqub’s statement that his father died of tuberculosis and hepatitis C in Afghanistan had vindicated Pakistan’s stance that Mullah Omar was not in Pakistan at the time of his death.
An Afghan newspaper headlines pictures of the new leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor, left, and Mullah Mohammad Omar, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, August 1, 2015.
These include the election of a new Taliban Shura, or high council, which will be headed by a member of Omar´s family – most likely Yakoub.
Pakistan on Thursday pushed the Afghan Taliban to return to the negotiation table weeks after the direct talks between the representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban were postponed due to the confirmation of the death of Taliban leader Mullah Omar.
It quoted Yakoub, a former frontrunner to replace Omar as leader, as saying: “We will work to strengthen and unite the Islamic Emirate… and for this goal we demand all the Mujahideen to work with unity in their ranks and to avoid any difference or conflict”. Omar’s longtime deputy Mansour was swiftly appointed his successor.
Some of those commanders accused him of being behind the death of long-time Taliban leader Mullah Omar. But many Afghan Taliban are suspicious of the process and fear Pakistan wants to exploit their insurgency to increase its own regional influence.
A total of 41 people, majority civilians, were injured when the bomber targeted the local district administration compound in the town of Paghman, said a police spokesman, Ebadullah Karimi.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the Paghman attack.
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North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ended its combat mission in Afghanistan last December and pulled out the bulk of its troops, although a 13,000-strong residual force remains for training and counter-terrorism operations.
