The Taliban leadership council tapped Mullah Haybattulah Akhundzada, a conservative Islamic scholar from the group’s stronghold in southern Afghanistan, to succeed Mullah Akhtar Mansour, four days after Mansour was killed in a United States drone strike.
Advertisement
US President Barack Obama, who authorised the drone strikes, had confirmed the death on Monday. He is known for public statements justifying the Taliban’s extremist tactics and their war against the Afghan government. “We believe that this action has undermined the Afghan peace process”, he said. He added that U.S. troops would be drawn down to 5,500 by the start of 2017.Obama has made extracting the United States from its 15-year war in Afghanistan a top priority, unsuccessfully pursuing efforts to bring the Taliban into talks with successive Afghan governments.
“The question to Obama is whether this killing is merely an end in itself or part of a strategy to drive Pakistan, America’s supposed ally and Taliban leaders to the peace table”, the editorial added.
On Saturday, Mansoor was killed in a USA drone strike in a remote area of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region.
Akhundzada went on to become the group’s “chief justice” after a US -led invasion toppled the Taliban government in 2001.
Taliban officials present at the meeting where Akhundzada was made leader said his appointment was largely because he was perceived as a unifying figure who could heal the rifts that emerged during Mansour’s brief tenure.
The Taliban closed the door on speculation that the leadership change would move the group closer toward peace talks with the Afghan government and called on members to unite behind Akhundzada.
FILE – Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, leader of the Afghan Taliban, is seen in this undated handout photo from the Taliban.
On 21st May, Mullah Mansour was killed in a targeted drone strike when he crossed into Pakistan from Iran in Noshki district of Balochistan.
He was a close ally of Mansour and was one of his two deputies.
He is said to have issued numerous rulings on how Muslims should comply with the Taliban’s extreme interpretation of Islam, and adjudicated internal disputes.
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.
Aziz said that Pakistan also believes that effective border management is vital for checking the infiltrations across long and porous Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Advertisement
“While expressing his serious concerns over the said drone strike, the Chief of the Army Staff said such acts of sovereignty violations are detrimental to relations between both countries and are counter-productive for the ongoing peace process for regional stability”, army said. “It shows that the Taliban are keen not to have a new conflict”, said Thomas Ruttig of the Afghanistan Analysts Network.
