Missing from public view ever since the USA invasion of the country in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, Omar’s death had been covered up by the Taliban, with the group continuing to issue periodic statements in his name in the two years after his passing.
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Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had earlier said that the drone strike by the United States in Balochistan was a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty, to the US responded saying that they do respect Islamabad’s territorial integrity, but that will not stop them from carrying out strikes to remove terrorists targeting American forces.
Akhundzada is a religious scholar who served as the Taliban’s chief justice before his appointment as a deputy to Mansour.
Senior Taliban figures have said Mansour’s death could strengthen the movement, as he was in some ways a divisive figure. “We believe that an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process is the way ultimately to resolve the conflict in Afghanistan”, he said. His group – which has always been suspected to have the backing of elements within the Pakistani establishment, a claim Islamabad denies – has had a hand in some of most bloody attacks during the Afghan insurgency, including, most recently, a Kabul vehicle bomb last month that killed over 60 people.
“What’s interesting is that Sirajuddin Haqqani was the choice of Pakistan, and Mullah Yakoub, he was the choice of the Taliban inside Afghanistan”, Tom tells our Newscast unit. Analysts believe he will be more heavily reliant on his shura (council) than Omar and Mansour and will need to rule by consensus.
Mansour’s killing is a major blow to the militant movement just nine months after he was formally appointed leader following a bitter power struggle upon the confirmation of founder Mullah Omar’s death.
“The Taliban leadership including the new commander Mullah Akhundzada believe military victory is only a matter of time”.
Akhundzada’s appointment came as a surprise to some, including Ghous, who said that despite not being a top contender but a “third candidate”, the new leader would rise above any personal animosity or conflict that might have arisen had either Haqqani or Yaqoub been chosen.
The office of President Ashraf Ghani said the latest developments brought the Taliban “yet another opportunity to end and renounce violence, lay down their arms, and resume a normal and peaceful life”.
Analysts say his religious authority was likely decisive in his being elected leader, and it was also to his advantage that his family comes from the Taliban heartland.
Under his stewardship the Taliban refused to take part in peace talks: instead, militant attacks escalated and became more daring. It called on “all Muslims” to enter a three-day period of mourning for Mansour. Mansour, however, refused, choosing instead to intensify the war once the global combat mission drew down to a training and support role in 2015.
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Rasool’s deputy, Mullah Abdul Manan Niazi, said the faction would not accept Akhundzada’s leadership for the same reason they rejected Mansour: He was elected by a small clique of Pakistan-based insiders with little input from the rank-and-file or field commanders in Afghanistan. It also attempted to calm any qualms among the rank and file by calling for unity and obedience to the new leader.
