ISLAMABAD: Mullah Abdul Manan, brother of deceased Taliban supremo Mullah Omar, on Sunday rejected the election of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor as the new chief of the orthodox militia and refused to pledge allegiance to him, according to sources.
In a related development, senior Taliban cadres formally launched their own Shura, or council, saying Mansoor has been “elected by a few people in a haste.”
The audio statement by Mullah Manan, who was speaking on behalf of his family, could be a serious blow to Mullah Mansoor as the Taliban believe thousands of foot soldiers and senior cadres have sympathies for the family of their former spiritual leader. The statement came a day after Mullah Mansoor, in an audio message, called for unity within Taliban ranks to ‘defeat the enemy’.