Taliban name new leader after Mansour’s death

May 25, 2016 01:33 pm

The Afghan Taliban has named Haibatullah Akhunzada as its new leader after Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in a US drone strike.

According to AFP, the insurgents struggled to find a successor after the two main contenders backed out of the race.

One of them was Sirajuddin Haqqani, a guerrilla commander who is regarded by US officials as the most dangerous warlord within the organisation.
Akhunzada was one of Mansour’s two deputies, and it is believed he was selected at a meeting held in Pakistan.

Little is known about the man but he is reported to be a respected religious scholar.

-Agencies

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