#mohammed omar

The Afghan Taliban has named its new leader as Haibatullah Akhundzada, an influential religious figure, following the death of former commannder Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone strike. "Haibatullah Akhundzada has been appointed as the new leader of the Islamic Emirate (Taliban) after a unanimous agreement in the shura (supreme council), and all the members of shura pledged allegiance to him," the Islamist group said in a statement. It added that Sirajuddin Haqqani, a sworn enemy of America,  and Mullah Yakoub, the son of Taliban founder Mullah Omar, have been appointed his deputies.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. targeted Taliban leader Mullah Mansour in an airstrike Saturday near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, the Defense Department said, and a U.S. official said Mansour was believed to have been killed.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor has released a rare audio recording in which he denies claims by an Afghan official that he was wounded in a shootout during a meeting with other commanders in Pakistan last week. http://dlvr.it/Cx258T

By Jibran Ahmad PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - Weeks after the Afghan Taliban's biggest battlefield success since 2001, dissident commanders unhappy with their new leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour are meeting to choose a rival, they told Reuters on Tuesday. A leadership battle within the Taliban could create space for militants loyal to Islamic State to expand their foothold in the region, and could discourage Mansour from resuming Pakistan-backed peace talks with the Afghan government. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is pushing for a negotiated settlement to the 14-year insurgency, which has escalated markedly since tens of thousands of NATO combat troops withdrew ahead of an end-2014 deadline. http://dlvr.it/CVlkw1

The Taliban's new leader told Kabul on Tuesday it must cancel a security deal with the United States and expel all foreign troops if it wants peace, as 10 Afghan soldiers died in an "insider" attack. Mullah Mansour, who formally took charge after the death of Taliban founder Mullah Omar was confirmed in July, made the demand in a message marking the Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Adha. "If the Kabul administration wants to end the war and establish peace in the country, it is possible through ending the occupation and revoking all military and security treaties with the invaders," Mansour said. http://dlvr.it/CDX20Y

By Mirwais Harooni and Jessica Donati KABUL (Reuters) - A wave of attacks on Afghan police, army and NATO installations in Kabul killed at least 42 people and wounded hundreds, dashing hope that Taliban insurgents might be weakened by a leadership struggle after news of their longtime leader's death. The attacks on Friday, which included a massive truck bomb in a heavily populated civilian area and a suicide attack on a police academy, were some of the most serious in months and the first in Kabul since the Taliban named a new leader last week. Kabul has frequently been targeted by the Taliban and other insurgent groups seeking to destabilize the fragile government of President Ashraf Ghani although the scale of the latest attacks was unusually large. http://dlvr.it/BnFkdz

Multiple bombings rocked Kabul Friday, killing at least 35 people and wounding hundreds more in the first major attacks in the Afghan capital since the announcement of Taliban leader Mullah Omar's death. The explosions, which devastated buildings and overwhelmed hospitals with casualties, mark the deadliest day in Kabul since the end of the NATO combat mission in December. In the first attack, a powerful truck bomb tore through the centre of Kabul just after midnight on Friday, killing 15 civilians and wounding 240 others. http://dlvr.it/Bn2lLC

By Mirwais Harooni and Jessica Donati KABUL (Reuters) - A truck bomb exploded near an army compound in central Kabul on Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding hundreds, police and health officials said, in the first major attack in the Afghan capital since the Taliban announced a new leader. A Taliban spokesman said the group was looking into the incident, while government officials said an investigation had begun. "A truck bomb detonated close to an army compound," said Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi, adding that at least eight bodies had been found. http://dlvr.it/Bmlqvg