Mullah Omar successor promises to continue insurgency

“We will serve the new leader if he is elected with consensus but will not support anyone including Mullah Akhtar Mansoor if the leaders failed to demonstrate unity”, Omar’s family said.

The founder of the Haqqani network, considered to be one of the most violently effective factions of the Taliban, has been dead for almost a year, a senior member of the group said Friday, days after it emerged that the Afghan insurgency’s overall leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, died more than two years ago. “This is a big responsibility on us”.

It also said that the Taliban would “continue our jihad until we bring an Islamic rule in the country”.

News of Omar’s death prompted speculation as to whether to Taliban would continue peace talks begun on July 7.

“This is the enemy propaganda to call it the peace process”. Some prominent commanders reportedly did not attend the Shura meeting held on Thursday, while others, including Omar’s son Yaqoob and brother Abdul Mannan left the meeting in anger.

“In fact he needed the foreigners out of Afghanistan, however Mullah Mansoor persistently informed Mullah Omar that warfare was not the answer in Afghanistan“, Mujda stated.

Sources say that the Taliban Supreme Council was not consulted before the appointment of Mansoor, a move that could impact on the peace talks with the Afghan government.

This month, two Afghan militant groups swore allegiance to Islamic State, and more could follow suit.

Meanwhile, Taliban attacks against Afghan officials and forces have intensified with their annual warm-weather offensive.

The Haqqani Network was founded by Jalaluddin Haqqani who allied himself to the Taliban after they took power in Kabul in 1996, serving as a cabinet minister for border affairs under Mullah Mohammad Omar. President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistan prefer the former because of his moderate views towards the peace talks, while those making significant gains in the battlefield wish to see Yaqub replacing his father.

However, the Washington Post, citing diplomatic and intelligence documents, reported that the CIA had a lead on the reclusive Omar’s whereabouts several times in 2010 and 2011, always placing him in Pakistan.

Not all within the insurgencys ranks believed the man not seen in public since 2001 was still running the show, and when the dissatisfaction surfaced, the Afghan leadership decided to finally kill the myth. That decision is likely to shake the foundations of the Afghan political landscape, officials, diplomats and analysts said. The postponement of the talks came after the Taliban movement announced in a statement that it had no knowledge of a second round of peace talks reportedly taking place in Islamabad.