By Ankit Panda
Mullah Omar’s brother and son have sworn their allegiance to Mullah Mansoor. Are the Taliban back in business?
After the Taliban confirmed the death of their erstwhile leader and Amir al-Mumineen (Commander of the Faithful), Mullah Omar, it appeared that the group would tear apart at the seams. Omar’s successor, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, appointed by a shura early August, proved to be a polarizing figure. The Taliban, it appeared, had a succession crisis on their hands. Now, however, the group may have smoothed over the main source of tension with regard to Omar’s succession. Omar, who had led the Afghan mujahideen since the 1980s, had left behind a legacy in his son, Mullah Yaqub, who quickly acquired his own followers. Yacub, who was rumored to have been killed in early August, now appears to have pledged his allegiance to Mansoor, possibly resolving one of the major rifts within the Taliban.
In an Arabic-language statement released on the Taliban’s website, Yacub and Manan, Omar’s brother, pledge their allegiance to Mansoor. Manan and Yacub called on “all the mujahideen brothers … especially those who delayed the oath of allegiance because of delay allegiance of our family” to follow their lead and also pledge their oath to Mansoor. Manan and Yacub had reportedly walked out of the shura that declared Mansoor, a long-time confidant to Omar, the group’s new Amir al-Mumineen. ”I stand with my nephew,” Manan had said at the time. ”There should be a (grand council) so everyone has a chance to choose their own leader. I do not accept this selection of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor because only a few chose him,” he added at the time.
Read the full story at The Diplomat