Afghanistan: Taliban Moves Quickly to Name New Leader
| Publisher | Jamestown Foundation |
| Author | Alexander Sehmer |
| Publication Date | 27 May 2016 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | Terrorism Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 11 |
| Cite as | Jamestown Foundation, Afghanistan: Taliban Moves Quickly to Name New Leader, 27 May 2016, Terrorism Monitor Volume: 14 Issue: 11, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/57567ee44.html [accessed 23 January 2017] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Link to original story on Jamestown website
Taliban leader Akhtar Mohammad Mansour was killed in a US drone strike early on May 21, a move that might have initiated the Taliban's second leadership crisis in less than a year, but the group quickly appointed Maulvi Haibatullah Akhundzada as Mansour's successor.
Mansour was killed, along with his driver, while travelling in a Toyota Corolla on a highway through Quetta, in Pakistan's restive southwestern province of Baluchistan (Dawn, May 22). Pakistan's President Nawaz Sharif labeled the drone strike a violation of his country's sovereignty (Dawn, May 23). While the incident is the first drone attack inside Baluchistan, there have been plenty of strikes in Pakistani and Afghan territory in the past. Furthermore, a statement from Pakistan's foreign ministry indicated Pakistani officials, the president included, had been made aware of the strike in advance (Dawn, May 22).
Interestingly, Mansour appears to have been killed while returning from Iran, having travelled there on a Pakistani passport under the name Wali Muhammad (Gandhara, May 22). His passport was found to contain a valid Iranian visa. An Iranian connection is not unexpected. Iran's Quds Force was long suspected of supplying the Taliban with weapons for use against coalition forces in Afghanistan. Since the withdrawal of Western combat troops in 2014, Tehran has likely seen the Taliban as a useful and effective way of tackling Islamic State in Afghanistan.
The speed with which the Taliban announced Akhundzada's appointment - he took over as leader in under a week - was likely a move to avoid a repeat of the leadership crisis the group has faced since July 2015 with the death of Mullah Omar, a development that was kept secret from the group's foot soldiers for two years. It also heads off any setbacks to the Taliban's recent offensive, which has seen it gain ground in Afghanistan's north, including around Baghlan's provincial capital (Tolo News, May 14).
U.S. officials appear to hope Mansour's killing will make peace talks with the Taliban easier. That seems optimistic. Akhundzada and his deputies - Sirajuddin Haqqani of the Haqqani network and Mullah Yakoub, the son of Mullah Omar - are no keener on peace talks than Mansour was, and the Taliban's current strength means it has little incentive to negotiate.
Divisions could still emerge within the Taliban. Mansour had only just begun to consolidate his position, seeing off a series of challenges including from rival Mohammad Rasool Akhund, thought to have been a close friend of Mullah Omar. While splitting the Taliban among different leaders - which may be what Afghan and U.S. officials hoped for by removing Mansour - could perhaps see a faction emerge that is less implacably opposed to talks, it would seem to be a dangerous game.
