Afghanistan Times
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AT Monitoring Desk-KABUL: After the death of the Taliban’s supreme leader Mullah Omar, a serious rifts has flared up over the over appointment of their new leader. Reports regarding power struggle between Mullah Mansoor, and the family members of the late Mullah Omar, such as his son Mullah Yaqoob and his brother Mullah Abdul Manan, did rounds in media. However, Mullah Mansoor was announced to be the successor of Mullah Omar amid deepening crisis. This announcement flared the tensions up between Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor and Mullah Yaqboob. Amid the reports of tensions, news stories surfaced in media that Mullah Yaqoob, the 26-year old, has been killed during a meeting in Quetta, Balochistan as he was opposed to the appointment of Mullah Mansoor as the new leader of the Taliban. However, an Afghan online news portal, Khaama Press, reported Tuesday that Mullah Yaqoob has been under house arrest. The online news portal quoted unnamed sources privy to the developments. The paper adds that Mullah Yaqoob has been arrested at the behest of the Mullah Mansoor.
The sources said that Mansoor decided to keep Mullah Yaqoob under house arrest after he rejected to announce allegiance to him. It is said that another senior Taliban leader, Abdullah Zakeri, was killed because he opposed Mullah Akhtar Mansoor as successor of Mullah Omar.
The death of Mullah Yaqoob made public on Monday when Zahir Qadir, the First Deputy Speaker of the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) said that Yaqoob was killed last week in Quetta Pakistan as he was struggling to succeed his father as the new leader of the Taliban.
He said that opposing the Taliban and Pakistan caused Mullah Yaqoob’s killing. “The realty will be made clear soon,” he furthered.
According to the report Mullah Yaqoob has graduated from a madrassa (religious seminary) in Karachi of Pakistan. He is the eldest son of Mullah Mohammad Omar who defied allegiance to the Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor as the new leader.
Not only Mullah Yaqoob vented anger over the appointment of Mullah Mansoor, as Taliban leader, but several others Taliban including Mullah Omar’s brother Mullah Abdul Manan also said last week that he and his family didn’t’ recognize Mullah Mansoor as their new leader.
Mullah Mohammad Syed Tayyab Agah, head of Taliban Qatar office resigned from his positions. And according to the group’s spokesman, Qari Hamza said that Agha was forced to resign by the central committee of the group from his position as the head of Qatar office. His resignation took place amid growing tensions among the Taliban groups after the death of their leader Mullah Omar and appointment of his successor, Mullah Mansoor. It also said that two influential Taliban figures, Mullah Mohammad Rasool and Mullah Hasan Rahmani opposed Mansoor’s leaders is as new leader of the Taliban. Mullah Mansoor is alleged to be the guy of Pakistan’s premier spy agency—the ISI and believed to be appointed only by a few Taliban members at the dictates of ISI’s officials.
