Taliban insurgents say that the family of late Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has announced its support for Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor as his successor.
A statement posted on the Taliban’s website on Tuesday said that Mullah Omar’s brother, Mullah Abdul Manan, and eldest son, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoub, declared their support for Mansoor’s leadership in a gathering of senior Taliban officials.
Manan confirmed to The Associated Press that he and Yaqoub are now pledging their allegiance to Mansoor. The pair, along with several other senior Taliban commanders, had initially rejected Mansoor’s ascension.
The reversal should remove one of the main obstacles to Mansoor’s fledgling leadership but there are still a number of other Taliban commanders who oppose Mansoor as the leader.
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