The Afghan Taliban yesterday named one of former leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor’s deputies to succeed him, after confirming Mansoor’s death in a US drone strike over the weekend.
Haibatullah Akhunzada, a religious scholar who was named in a UN report last year as the Taliban’s former chief justice, will lead the movement, it said in a statement.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, head of a feared network blamed for many deadly bomb attacks in Kabul in recent years, and Mullah Mohammed Yaqoob, son of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammed Omar, will serve as deputies.
Photo: AFP / AFGHAN TALIBAN
The announcement, following a meeting of the Taliban’s main shura, or leadership council, ended days of confusion during which the Taliban declined to confirm the death of Mansoor in a drone strike in Pakistan on Saturday.
“All the shura members have pledged allegiance to Sheikh Haibatullah in a safe place in Afghanistan,” the statement said. “All people are required to obey the new emir-al-momineen [commander of the faithful].”
Akhunzada, believed to be about 60 years of age and a member of the powerful Noorzai tribe, was a close aide to Omar and is from Kandahar, in the south of Afghanistan and the heartland of the Taliban.
An official Taliban account on Twitter posted a photograph of Akhundzada, informally known as Mullah Haibatullah, with a white turban and a long, greying beard.
The post listed his full title as Amir-ul-Mumineen Shiekh ul Quran Haibatullah Akhundzada.
The hardline Taliban movement banned human images for breaching their strict interpretation of Islam during their five-year rule over Afghanistan, which ended when they were ousted by a US-led military campaign.
Senior members of the insurgent group had been keenly aware of the need to appoint a candidate who could bring disparate factions together and repair the splits that emerged last year when Mansoor was appointed.
“It was much quicker than most people expected, including myself. It shows that the Taliban are keen not to have a new conflict,” said Thomas Ruttig of the Afghanistan Analysts Network.
Ruttig had earlier singled out Akhundzada as a likely successor to Mansoor over more high-profile candidates, because of his longstanding ties to a movement in need of stability.
However, there was no immediate indication of whether the appointment would lead to a shift in the stance of the Taliban, which under Mansoor ruled out participating in peace talks with the government in Kabul.
A spokesman for Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah called on the new Taliban leader to join talks, or face dire consequences.
“We invite Mula #Haibatullah to peace. Political settlement is the only option for #Taliban or new leadership will face the fate of #Mansoor,” spokesman Javid Faisal said in a tweet.
The US, Pakistan and China have also been trying to get the militants to the negotiating table.
News of the appointment came as a suicide attack on a bus carrying appeal court employees killed 11 people and wounded four west of the Afghan capital, Kabul.
The bomber, who was on foot, detonated his explosives’ vest as he walked by the vehicle in the western part of the city, Afghan Ministry of the Interior spokesman Najib Danish said.
The casualties included court workers and civilians
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.
Additional reporting by AP
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