An audio statement purporting to be from Akhundzada rejected peace talks, but the Taliban’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid later said the message was not authentic and did not come from the new leader. He was one of Mansour’s deputies alongside Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of the feared Haqqani network based out of eastern Afghanistan.
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Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada will guide the Taliban going forward after previously serving as a scholar and religious teacher.
The State Department confirmed today that Akhundzada, who holds considerable sway over over madrasas in Balochistan, the Pakistani region where Mansour was killed, and was administrative assistant to previous Taliban leader Mullah Omar, is not designated as a terrorist by the United States.
According to Yusufzai, Mullah Yaqoob is the most non-controversial as well as acceptable figure among the current emerging leaders to all the factions of the Taliban.
Manan Niazi said his breakaway faction will continue to fight against the Taliban under Akhunzada and will not stand united with “the group that has forgotten Mullah Omar’s purpose”.
The role of the second deputy has been taken by Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, son of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar. Mansour had been Mullah Omar’s deputy before assuming command.
Haqqani, whose network has been blamed for high-profile suicide attacks in Afghanistan, has the backing of Pakistan.
The committee’s chairman, Senator John McCain, introduced the bill, which sets aside up to $800 million for reimbursing Pakistan and the proposal is included in the Senate version of the National Defence Authorisation Act, 2017, passed on May 18.
“Mansour could make decisions on his own, but Akhundzada does not have that kind of power”, Muzhdah told DW, adding that the new leader could face challenges in the future. He is said to have issued numerous rulings on how Muslims should comply with the Taleban’s extreme interpretation of Islam, and adjudicated internal disputes.
Later, Hibatullah Akhundzada was appointed to the Taliban’s military court in the group’s stronghold of Kandahar and then as head of its military court in eastern Nangarhar province.
A number of Taliban commanders opposed Mansour’s appointment, as he did not belong to the Noorzai tribe that Mullah Omar hailed from.
“I want to thank the U.S forces that carried out this important operation, and reaffirm that we will continue to disrupt networks and individuals that threaten the United States and our forces overseas”, he said.
Within an hour of the announcement, a Taliban suicide bomber attacked a shuttle bus carrying court employees west of the Afghan capital, Kabul, killing as many as 11 people and wounding several others, including children. Instead, militant attacks escalated and became more daring.
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Mansour, according to the USA and Afghan governments, was an obstacle to a peace process that had ground to a halt when he refused to participate in talks earlier this year.
