By Shadi Khan Saif
KABUL
The new Taliban leadership are fighting to keep the group together amid fears of a rupture in the wake of founder Mullah Muhammed Omar's death.
Though the group delayed confirmation of Mullah Omar's death when it leaked out last week, two years after his demise, they have been eager to promote the new leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor.
On Monday, the group issued a rare video of supporters at an open-air gathering swearing their allegiance to Mullah Mansoor.
The short video filmed from the back of a stage did not show Mullah Mansoor's face but captured another leader introducing the new "Amir", or leader, while the crowd raised their hands as a symbol of their support.
Only two days earlier, the Taliban had released a 33-minute-long audio message from Mullah Mansoor calling on fighters to "preserve our unity. Division in our ranks will only please our enemies."
Mullah Mansoor was considered one of the Taliban's strongest advocates for peace talks but used his message to demand "our jihad will continue" until Shariah law was implemented in Afghanistan.
Mullah Omar's death sparked a leadership contest and while the Taliban's central council, known as a Shura, chose former Taliban aviation minister Mullah Mansoor to take the top role, the vote was rejected by elements of the militant group, including Mullah Omar's family, who wanted his son Yaqoob to take control of the group.
Political analyst Tair Zaland linked Mullah Mansoor's harsh language in his first message to the rifts within the Taliban.
“He feels isolated and threatened amid growing opposition among the Taliban ranks regarding his leadership,” Zaland told Anadolu Agency. “He has vowed to carry on fighting and has in fact sent delegations of militants across the country to gather the support and trust of local commanders, this indicates the man is trying to hold ground and consolidate his position.”
The Taliban's official website was once limited to messages shared by Mullah Omar, or in his name, on special occasions but since the news of his death it has been used to publish daily articles intended at consolidating support around Mullah Mansoor.
At least two separate articles published Sunday claimed that thousands of people, including religious clerics, tribal elders and prominent militant commanders, had pledged allegiance to the new leader.
The propaganda drive belies the fractures within the Taliban that have quickly emerged since the leadership vote, believed to have been held on Thursday.
Mullah Omar's family members quickly and publicly denounced Mansoor, who had already been operating as the Taliban's acting chief.
On Monday, local media reported that Mullah Mansoor's ally Haibatullah Noorzai had survived an assassination attempt in neighboring Pakistan.
Inside Afghanistan, Afghan army spokesman Mohammad Raza said at least 15 Taliban fighters had been killed during two days of infighting in the country's north.
The infighting sparked by the leadership crisis came at a time when some Taliban commanders had already abandoned the group and formed a new one under the banner of the Syria-based Daesh.
It has also raised concerns about the impact a split could have on direct peace talks with the government, which only began for the first time in July.
The news of Mullah Omar's death prompted the group to postpone a second round of talks scheduled for last Friday and according to Zaland, Mullah Mansoor's ongoing battle for legitimacy could mean many more months will pass before the talks resume.
