Taliban confirms leader Mansour's death, appoints replacement

Sputnik
Wed, 25 May 2016 17:13 UTC

© AFP

Pakistani local residents gathering around a destroyed vehicle hit by a drone strike in which Afghan Taliban Chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour was believed to be travelling in the remote town of Ahmad Wal in Balochistan, around 160 kilometres west of Quetta

Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents confirmed the death of their leader and named his successor through the group's spokesman on Wednesday.

US and Afghan officials said Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed mid-Saturday in a drone strike on a vehicle he was occupying en route to the Pakistani city of Quetta, Balochistan province. Mansour was picked to replace Taliban's previous leader in mid-2015.

Zabiullah Mujahid, one of two Taliban's spokesmen, issued a Pashto-language statement via Twitter in which he said "May Allah have mercy" on Mansour.

The accompanying statement named Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada as the Taliban's new leader, and Sirajudddin Haqqani and Mullah Yaqoob as two of his deputies. Akhundzada is an Islamic religious scholar who headed the group's Sharia courts and is responsible for issuing most of Taliban's fatwas. His predecessor led the militants for less than a year. Yaqoob is the son of Mullah Omar, the founder of the extremist group, who was killed last year.

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The U.S. unilaterally launched the drone strike on Pakistani soil, without the permission of Pakistan's authorities. Sratfor predicts their response:

"Islamabad will also ramp up security in Balochistan, possibly providing cover to the remaining elements of the Taliban still present in the province, attempting to shield them from further US drone strikes," Stratfor stated in an analysis.

According to Stratfor, Pakistan will try to strike a balance between projecting a firm posture to appease its domestic political base while not entirely alienating Washington because it relies on US military aid.