New Taliban chief vows to fight on

KABUL, Afghanistan: The new leader of the Afghan Taliban vowed to continue his group’s bloody, nearly 14-year insurgency in an audio message released Saturday, urging his fighters to remain unified after the death of their longtime leader.
The audio message purportedly from Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor also included comments about the Taliban’s nascent peace talks with the Afghan government, though it wasn’t immediately clear whether he supported them or not.
Mansoor took over the Taliban 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 Wednesday that the reclusive mullah had been dead since April 2013; the Taliban 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 purportedly said in the message. “This is a big responsibility for us. This is not the work of one, two or three people.”
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid sent the audio to journalists and others Saturday. The Associated Press could not independently verify the identity of the man speaking in the roughly 30-minute audio clip, though Mujahid is in charge of all communications for the group.
The new leader of the Taliban 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 Taliban pulled out of a second round scheduled for Friday — is now in the balance as the Taliban leadership appears to be fracturing amid disagreement over who should inherit Mullah Omar’s mantle.
The new Taliban 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 Taliban commanders, including those fighting in Afghanistan.