Reconciliation Council to appoint new Taliban leader tomorrow

Following the death of Mullah Omar the chief of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor came forward as the new chief his candidature was however challenged by two others including Mullah Yaqoob the eldest son of Mullah Omar.

While many Taliban factions pledged allegiance to Mullah Akhtar Mansoor including Aymen Al Zawahiri; Mullah Yaqoob seconded by Haji Abdul Mannan (brother of Mullah Omar) claims he should be the new chief. Another party claiming the top slot includes Mullah Haji Qayoom Zakir, Mansoor Dadullah and Mullah Abdul Razzak.

To resolve the confusion a 17 member Ulema council met at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan, but was unable to decide the matter. According to a member of the Ulema council they were unable to reach out to Mullah Akhtar Mansoor after multiple attempts.

Attempts to reach out to Akhtar Mansoor were even made through his deputy Haibatullah Akhunzada as well as through Jalaluddin Haqqani’s son Khalifa Haqqani, but no positive response was received.

The source adds that the council has been entrusted to decide the matter by the two remaining parties. The reconciliation council will meet again tomorrow (Thursday) to decide the matter between the two parties that have pledged to accept the council’s decision.

However the source adds, if the council selects Mullah Omar’s son Mullah Yaqoob as the new chief it is possible the Taliban will split into two factions.

The Contenders

Mullah Akhtar Mansoor: After the announcement of the Mullah Omar’s death, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor came forward as the newly appointed chief of the Afghan Taliban. It was reported earlier by the Wall Street Journal that Mansoor was the more moderate Taliban leader who supported peace talks with the Afghan government in Kabul. He is reported to have had frequent conflicts with Haji Qayoom Zakir and was appointed as Zakir’s replacement as Taliban’s top military official.

Mullah Yaqoob: Mullah Omar’s eldest son Mullah Yaqoob is reportedly 21 years-old. His name came to light following Akhtar Mansoor’s appointment as the news chief of the Taliban. Reports were rife that Mullah Yaqoob was killed in a shoot out between two Taliban factions in Quetta, Pakistan in early August this year. However the reports were rejected by the Taliban terming the news baseless and claimed that Yaqoob was alive and well.

Mansoor Dadullah: Mullah Mansoor Dadullah has been considered an important Taliban figure and is the brother of Mullah Dadullah who was a close air of Mullah Omar. Mullah Dadullah was killed in 2007. After his death Mansoor was named as his replacement. After the announcement of Mullah Omar’s death Mansoor Dadullah claimed that the Taliban chief was not assassinated and did not die a natural death. Mullah Akhtar Mansoor expressed no confidence in the leadership of Akthar Mansoor in a conversation with the BBC earlier this month and has been urging that the Reconciliation Council appoint a leader who is acceptable to all Taliban.