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| Ayman al Zawahiri (Image: Wikipedia) |
By Ankit Panda
The leader of al-Qaeda has pledged his allegiance to Mullah Omar’s chosen successor, Mullah Mansour.
In an audio recording posted online on Thursday, Ayman al Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda, pledged his loyalty to Mullah Mohammad Akhtar Mansour, the new leader and Amir al-Muminin (Leader of the Faithful) of the Taliban. The announcement was released by al-Sahab, al-Qaeda’s media arm. Zarahiri’s announcement resolves an outstanding question regarding the Taliban’s unity following the group’s confirmation that Mullah Mohammad Omar, the group’s long-standing leader, had died two years ago, in 2013.
In the message, Zawahiri offers his condolences and declares his support for Mullah Mansour’s leadership. The Taliban confirmed Mansour’s status as the group’s new leader shortly after Omar’s death after a shura (council) of leaders convened in Quetta, Pakistan. ”We pledge our allegiance … [to the] commander of the faithful, Mullah Mohammad Akhtar Mansour, may God protect him,” Zawahiri notes in the message. “Allah has honored you and honored our emir, the emir of the believers, Mullah Muhammad Omar. May Allah have mercy on him.” For the moment, the authenticity of the message has not been independently verified.
Read the full story at The Diplomat