New Afghan Taleban leader calls for unity

THE new leader of the Afghan Taleban has vowed to continue his group’s 13-year insurgency, urging his fighters to remain unified after the death of their longtime leader.

Mullah Monsurs message to his Taleban followers was the lead story on the Kabul news-stands yesterday. Picture: AP

The audio message purportedly from Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor also included comments about the peace talks with the Afghan government, though it was not immediately clear whether he supported them or not.

Mansoor took over the Taleban after the group on Thursday confirmed that former leader Mullah Mohammad Omar had died and said they elected Mansoor as his successor. The Afghan government announced on Wednesday that the reclusive mullah had been dead since April 2013; the Taleban has remained vague on exactly when Mullah Omar died.

“We should keep our unity, we must be united, our enemy will be happy in our separation,” Mansoor said. “This is a big responsibility for us. This is not the work of one, two or three people. This is all our responsibility to carry on jihad until we establish the Islamic state.”

Mullah Omar was the one-eyed, secretive head of the Taleban who hosted Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda in the years leading up to the 9/11 attacks. He had not been seen in public since fleeing over the border into Pakistan after the 2001 US-led invasion that ousted the Taleban from power.

The new leader of the Taleban is seen as close to Pakistan, which is believed to have sheltered and supported the insurgents through the war. He is believed to support the peace process initiated by Afghan president Ashraf Ghani and which Pakistan has taken the lead on sponsoring.

The future of the peace talks – postponed indefinitely by Pakistan after the Taleban pulled out of a second round scheduled for Friday – is now in the balance as the Taleban leadership appears to be fracturing amid disagreement over who should inherit Mullah Omar’s mantle.

The new Taleban leader’s call for unity comes a day after one of Mullah Omar’s sons, Yacoob, said he opposed Mansoor’s election, which was held in the Pakistani city of Quetta. He said the vote took place among a small clique of Mansoor’s supporters and demanded a re-election that includes all Taleban commanders, including those fighting in Afghanistan.

Mansoor has effectively been commanding the Taleban as Mullah Omar’s deputy for the last three years, and has called on loyal commanders to intensify the war against the Afghan government in recent months. Local security forces increasingly find themselves under attack as Nato and US troops ended their combat mission in the country at the end of last year.

The audio message was clearly aimed at calming dissent, as the split seemed to cleave those who support talks to end the war from hardliners who oppose negotiations with the Afghan government. The man purported to be Mansoor calls for patience, asks the Taleban rank and file to ignore media reports about the peace process and rely on the leadership to make decisions. His words seemed carefully chosen to avoid either supporting or rejecting peace talks.

“We have to continue our jihad, we shouldn’t be suspicious of each other. Whatever happens must comply with Sharia law, whether that be jihad, or talks, or an invitation to either.” he said.

While the insurgents have spread their footprint across the northern provinces, the traditional battlegrounds of the south and east bordering Pakistan remain vulnerable to large-scale Taleban attacks that seem designed to destroy the morale of the Afghan forces as insurgents continue to overrun districts, if only temporarily.

Officials said yesterday that Taleban gunmen had surrounded a police station in southern Uruzgan province and were holding 70 police officers hostage. The head of police in Khas Uruzgan district said that five officers had been killed and four wounded in fighting so far.

“If we don’t get support then all 70 police will be either dead or captured,” he said.