New Taliban leader facing tension as top official quits

Pakistan, which is believed to have strong influence over the Taliban, had been mediating peace talks launched last month, but postponed them indefinitely after the announcement of Mullah Omar’s death.

The private television channel Tolo has also reported Mullah Yaqub’s death, quoted lawmaker Qadir.

Mohammad Tayab Agha, head of the Taliban’s political office, said in a statement Tuesday that the movement made a “historic mistake” by concealing the Mullah Omar’s death, which it only confirmed last week.

The insurgents have tried to keep a unified front but cracks soon emerged in the leadership, with Mullah Omar’s relatives contesting Mullah Mansoor’s appointment and demanding a wider vote that includes battlefield commanders as their almost 14-year insurgency continues.

Taliban militants have not commented on the report.

Perhaps in reaction to the dissent, the Taliban posted videos on Facebook, apparently showing worshippers acclaiming Mansour as leader.

His resignation was confirmed by Waheed Muzhda, who was an official in the Taliban government in the 1990s. He said the council would next meet with Mullah Mansoor.

The statement claimed Mullah Omar had been mysteriously killed in April 2013 in a hospital in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi.

Taliban spokesmen Zabihullah Mujahid and Qari Yusouf Ahmadi issued a statement asking supporters to show their support on social media and disregard “enemy propaganda”, according to AP news report.

Until recently, Balkh and most of northern Afghanistan have been largely peaceful, though the Taliban, along with other insurgent groups – including the Islamic State group – have established a presence there, Noor said.

The Kunduz governor’s spokesman, Abdul Wadood Wahidi, said around 50 Taliban fighters in the province’s Archi district joined the IS three days ago after being offered money. The move set off fierce clashes in which the Taliban arrested the defectors, he said.

The Afghan government, meanwhile, banned any public mourning after Mullah Omar, saying late on Monday that it would cause “anguish and humiliation” to the thousands of Taliban victims.

The NDS statement described Mullah Omar’s death as an “assassination”, without providing further details.