Taliban denies death reports of Jalaluddin Haqqani

Taliban insurgent leaders were preparing to attend a second round of negotiations with Afghan officials, prodded by Pakistani authorities amid a thaw in their long-chilly relations with Kabul, and reinforced by a supportive recent statement from the supreme Taliban leader, Mohammed Omar. The statement released Sunday did not include any audio of Haqqani speaking to prove he is alive, however it comes as the Taliban tries to present a unified front behind Mansoor as they continue their almost 14-year insurgency against the Afghan government. The new leader called for unity amid reports of splits among different Taliban factions.

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“Whatever happens must comply with Sharia law, whether that be jihad, or talks, or an invitation to either”, he said of further conflict or peace talks with Afghanistan’s government.

Taliban faced break ups after the confirmation of Mullah Omar’s death, who had kept the Talibans united and the Movement going on during his whole life.

“This is a big responsibility for us”, he told fellow Taliban fighters.

“There are two groups within the Taleban – one that is pro-talks and the other that is anti-talks. We will continue our jihad and we will fight until we bring an Islamic rule in the country”.

It is linked with the Taliban and al Qaeda, is based in Waziristan, a tribal area of Pakistan, and also operates across the border in Afghanistan.

A statement by the group said Mullah Omar was eliminated following the opening of the group’s liaison office in Qatar which sparked serious argunment between him and Mullah Akhtar Mansoor.

Mullah Abdul Manan Niazi, who was a provincial governor in the north and west of Afghanistan during the Taliban era, said Saturday that “the great mujahedeen, clerics, fighting commanders who have been part of the Islamic emirate for 20 years were all excluded from the succession meeting”. The “small” procedure was carried out Friday night, Tutu’s family said in a statement Saturday.

In an audio message, a speaker purported to be the Taliban’s new leader denies that the Sunni Islamist group is attempting to work toward a peace process with the Afghan government.

The Taliban also announced his deputies – Sirajuddin Haqqani, who leads the Taliban-allied Haqqani network and has a US$10 million (RM38 million) bounty on his head, and Haibatullah Akhundzada, former head of the Taliban courts.

The Afghan government said it is optimistic about the peace process after Omar’s death, saying the “road for the Afghan peace talks is more paved now than before”.

Waheed Muzhda, a former bureaucrat in the Taliban’s 1996-2001 administration and now a political analyst, downplayed the importance of Mullah Omar’s relatives to the question of succession.

Thousands of local and foreign Taliban fighters recently took charge of more than 100 villages in the region but the security forces had since retaken some ground, Rezaee said.

The Taliban has named Mansoor to replace Taliban founder Omar, whose death was disclosed earlier this week.

The Haqqani Network is considered one of the country’s most vicious militant organizations, responsible for complex and well-planned attacks that often involve large numbers of suicide bombers and produce heavy casualties.