Pepe Escobar (via Counter Punch): The Pentagon said Mansour was on Obama’s kill list because he had become “an obstacle to peace and reconciliation.” There’s way more to it, of course. Bets can be made that Mansour’s kill will not reduce Afghanistan’s opium production – which has been steadily on the rise for years now. Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada,
Michael Hughes: There is little reason to believe that the U.S. removed an obstacle to peace talks in Afghanistan by killing Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour because his replacement is even more radical and committed to waging a “holy war” against Kabul. The Taliban’s newly-appointed emir, Haibatullah Akhundzada, may not have the military expertise but is
VOA News Ayaz Gul May 30, 2016 ISLAMABAD—Taliban militants in Afghanistan have intensified battlefield attacks, killing around 57 Afghan security forces and wounding 37 others in the restive southern Helmand province. Afghan officials say fierce fighting has raged since Saturday, when the Taliban launched a string of coordinated assaults on three districts, including Nad Ali,
Tolo News: Criticizing the appointment of Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada as Taliban’s new leader, Mullah Mannan Niazi, spokesman for the Taliban’s breakaway faction led by Mullah Rassoul, said on Sunday that the newly appointed leader is a puppet of Pakistan – just as his predecessor, Mullah Mansour, was. He said Mullah Rassoul’s faction wants an Islamic government in
Asia Times: Even though the selection of Mullah Akhtar Mansour as the Taliban amir after the death of Mullah Mohammad Omar had caused deep frictions in the Taliban ranks, they have moved swiftly this time to fill the gap, with the newly chosen amir, Sheikh Haibatullah Akhunzada, pledging to follow his predecessor’s policy of rejecting
VOA News Akmal Dawi, Masood Farivar May 26, 2016 WASHINGTON—Days after a U.S. drone strike in Pakistan, near the Afghan border, killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, it remains unclear how the slain leader’s location was discovered. Mansoor was killed in a remote part of Baluchistan, a province that has been thought off limits for U.S.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty May 26, 2016 RFE/RL has obtained video footage that purportedly shows a group of Taliban commanders pledging loyalty to the newly named Afghan Taliban leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada. The video shows a group of turbaned and bearded men declaring allegiance to Akhundzada and expressing their agreement with his appointment as the
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty May 26, 2016 U.S. President Barack Obama has said the Taliban are unlikely to come to the table for peace talks with the Afghan government “anytime soon.” Obama was speaking on May 26 on the sidelines of a G7 summit in Japan, a day after the Taliban appointed Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada
Press TV May 25, 2016 The Afghan Taliban’s newly-appointed leader, Haibatullah Akhundzada, has pledged that the militant group will not enter into any peace talks with the government in Kabul. “No, no we will not come to any type of peace talks,” the man, identified as Akhundzada, said in an audio recording provided by the
VOA News Ayesha Tanzeem May 25, 2016 ISLAMABAD—The Taliban’s new chief, Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada, has a reputation as a respected religious scholar with the title “sheikh-ul-hadith,” a specialist in interpreting the words of Mohammad, the prophet of Islam. He enjoyed the esteem and trust of the Taliban’s founding leader, Mullah Omar, who turned to him