Taliban leadership council close to picking Mansoor’s successor

ISLAMABAD: The powerful leadership council of the Afghan Taliban is ‘very close’ to picking out a replacement of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor who is believed to have been killed in a US drone strike deep inside Pakistan, two Taliban cadres told The Express Tribune on Tuesday.

The election of a new leader is taking time as the Rahbari Shura wants to evolve a ‘broad-based consensus’ to avoid any controversy, said the Taliban leaders.



“At least seven members of the Rahbari Shura gathered at an [undisclosed] location on Tuesday to continue consultations. The other members who couldn’t join them were also consulted,” one Taliban leader, who attended the meeting, confided to The Express Tribune. He requested not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

“Members of the Haqqani network and some senior leaders who were previously associated with the Hizb-e-Islami (Younas Khalis group) and now support the Taliban gave their input during the meeting,” he added.

“In Tuesday’s consultations, the name of Mullah Muhammad Hassan was included among those being considered for the group’s leadership,” according to the Taliban leader. Mullah Hassan had served as deputy to the Council of Ministers during the Taliban regime (1996-2001).

“Consultations are almost complete and a decision is likely to be made by Wednesday evening, or in a few days,” said a former Taliban minister, who is aware of the whole process. The Taliban have not yet formally confirmed the death of Mullah Mansoor, but privately they say he is dead.



A team of senior Taliban leaders have also been tasked to seek opinion from those who are not members of the Rahbari Shura in order to evolve a broad-based consensus on the name of Mansoor’s successor.

The team includes veterans like Maulvi Hedayatullah, known as Maulvi Gul Agha, former ministers Maulvi Noorud Turabi, Amir Khan Mutaqi and Maulvi Mutiullah, known as Mullah Nanai, Taliban commanders said.

“This time, the Taliban leaders are very cautious. They want to avoid a controversy like the one that had surfaced over Mansoor’s election. I was among the nearly 50 Taliban who have been contacted to share opinion,” according to one commander.

The Taliban leadership is also seeking guidance from religious scholars close to the movement as they had not been taken into confidence on Mansoor’s election. The head of an Ulema delegation, Maulvi Ahmad Rabbani, is now fully onboard. Rabbani had not sworn allegiance to Mansoor due to differences over his election.

Top contenders

The list of names for possible replacement of Mansoor is not long. The top contenders included Mullah Yaqoob, Sirajuddin Haqqani and Maulvi Haibatullah.

Mullah Yaqoob: He is the elder son of Taliban founder Mullah Omar. He has emerged as the ‘most likely’ choice to replace Mansoor because he enjoys more support than the other figures on the list, according to Taliban commanders.

Yaqoob, 26, has the tagline of Mullah Omar and is seen as a leader who can keep the movement united. Detractors, however, argue that Yaqoob is too young to lead the group. Yaqoob, who has graduated from a Pakistani madrassa like thousands of other insurgents, is presently the group’s military commander in 15 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.



“Senior Taliban leaders and close aides of Mullah Omar shared with Yaqoob the leadership qualities of his father to prepare him for his new role,” one Taliban commander, who is privy to the meeting, told The Express Tribune. However, there are concerns within the Taliban that he would decline the highest position because of ‘lack of experience’ and in the presence of senior leaders.

Some Taliban leaders argue that the real power will remain with Sirajuddin Haqqani even if Yaqoob is elected successor of Mansoor. Taliban insiders say Sirajuddin had more powers within the Taliban even when Mansoor was alive.

Sirajuddin Haqqani: He is known as Khalifa among the Taliban. Some commanders say the Kandahari Taliban would prefer Yaqoob over Khalifa as they had been dominant since Mullah Omar had launched the movement in Kandahar in the early 90s. Majority of the Taliban founding members, including Mullah Omar and Mansoor, belonged to Kandahar. Later people from other areas joined the Taliban. The impression about the Haqqani network at the international level will also force the Taliban leaders to think many times before endorsing Sirajuddin for the top slot.

Maulvi Haibatullah: He is the second deputy in the Taliban hierarchy. He is among the favourits because of his religious background. He runs a madrassa and many Taliban fighters consider him as their teacher. He had also served in the judiciary during the Taliban regime in Nangarhar and Kandahar, according to a Taliban leader.

There is also a suggestion to pick out a lesser known commander to replace Mansoor to minimise possible threats to his life. The US drone campaign would remain a threat to known Taliban leaders and this situation could affect their activities. However, some believe the appointment of a lesser known or unknown person could trigger differences.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2016.