“Relations between Mullah Mansour and Tayyab Agha had never been friendly even when Mullah Omar was alive”, said another Taliban member, who is close to Agha.
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A statement from the National Directorate of Security said public gatherings to commemorate Mullah Omar’s death would be a “legitimate military target”.
The Taliban, meanwhile, issued another statement Tuesday urging followers to disregard “enemy propaganda” about internal fractures and to unite behind Mullah Mansoor.
He opposed the appointment of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor saying that Taliban’s new chief should have been elected among the Taliban fighters and in the bunkers.
The Taliban source said Mansour’s aides were trying to convince Agha to withdraw his resignation but his statement adds to a growing chorus of dissent in the movement over the increasingly bitter political transition.
The Taliban confirmed the death of Mullah Omar, the reclusive leader who ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001 and sheltered Osama bin Laden, after Afghanistan’s security agency said he had died in April 2013.
Mohammad Ali Ahmadi, the deputy governor for Ghazni, said the Taliban had organised a ceremony on Monday near the provincial capital.
He also expressed regret over the decision to keep news of Mullah Omar’s death a secret.
The infighting could split the Taliban and threatens tentative peace talks with the Kabul government to end 13 years of war that began with a US-led campaign after the 9/11 attacks on the US.
Mansour on Saturday called for unity in the Taliban in his first audio message since becoming head of the group, in comments apparently aimed at staving off a splintering of the group.
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Taliban is already facing rift internally with several militants defecting to Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
