A second round of talks, which has been scheduled to begin Friday in Pakistan, has been indefinitely postponed. “Our jihad will continue until the establishment of an Islamic regime in Afghanistan”, he said. “We should remove our differences”.
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Mullah Omar was much more than the Taliban’s operational leader.
Saturday, Feldman met with Pakistan military chief General Raheel Sharif to praise “his role in bringing all parties to peace talks between Afghanistan Government and Taliban”. Thus, instead of seeking a scriptural justification of the appointment procedure, Mansoor relied on the symbolism of the ulema to create an impression that the succession was Shariat-compliant.
“We have to continue our jihad, we shouldn’t be suspicious of each other”.
Be proactive – Use the “Flag as Inappropriate” link at the upper right corner of each comment to let us know of abusive posts. The decision to reveal Mullah Omar’s death was originally intended to help bridge deepening divisions within the movement, people with knowledge of the Taliban’s inner workings said. They were toppled in a U.S.-led invasion after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Pakistan and other friendly countries of Afghanistan hope that the Taliban leadership will stay engaged in the process of peace talks in order to promote a lasting peace in Afghanistan, the FO statement added. Mansoor’s priority in the coming days and weeks will be to consolidate his position.
But in the audio message, Mullah Mansour dismissed peace talks as “propaganda campaigns by the enemy”. He recently sent a delegation to inaugural meetings with Afghan officials hosted by Pakistan, hailed as a breakthrough.
But in the recording, which was released Saturday, Mansoor said claims of any “peace process” or negotiations were merely “the words of the enemies”.
The speech, according to Mujahid, was made to a special gathering of Taliban leaders, scholars and clerics.
Sections of the Pakistani and Afghan media suggest that several leaders had opposed the election of Mullah Akhat Mansoor.
Mansoor’s selection appears to have the backing of a broad array of Taliban leaders.
On one level, Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor represented the obvious continuity candidate for new Taliban leader.
The two deputies to Mansour, however, are one of the leaders of the Haqqani Network and a former Taliban judge who is said to be close to the Haqqanis.
The official confirmation of Omar’s death issued by the Afghan government said he died in a hospital near the Pakistani port city of Karachi. “He was also the Taliban “Governor” of Kandahar as of May 2007″, the United Nations document said. Reports indicate that many senior Taliban commanders are not satisfied with the new “Supreme Leader”.
He served as civil aviation minister in the Taliban government which ruled from 1996 up to Afghanistan.
The Taliban on Saturday denied reports of the death of the founder of Haqqani network, its allied militant group blamed for some of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan.
In a statement on Omar’s death, a spokesman for Ghani said the government was optimistic about the talks “and thus calls on all armed opposition groups to seize the opportunity and join the peace process”. “Haqqani… was ill before but he has been blessed with good health for a prolonged period now and has no troubles currently”.
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Mansoor also reportedly had powerful rivals in the past within the Taliban including Mullah Zakir, a former chief military commander of the Taliban. Jalaluddin’s son Sirajuddin was elected as the Taliban’s deputy to Mansoor – a move possibly aimed at ensuring a steady cash flow from the Haqqani’s wealthy backers and appeasing hardliners.
