REUTERS - Hardline cleric
Mullah Haibatullah Akundzada has reinforced his position as the new leader of
the Afghan Taliban by winning the support of two senior
members, the insurgent
group said on Saturday.
Former Taliban
interior minister Mullah Abdul Razaq Akhund and Mullah Abdul Sata Akhund
"pledged their full support" to Akundzada during a meeting of Taliban
scholars at an undisclosed location on Friday, the group said on its website.
Akundzada in May
replaced former Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Akhtar Mansour who was killed by
a U.S. drone strike.
Senior members of
the insurgent group hope Akundzada will be able to bring disparate factions
together and repair the splits that emerged last year when Mansour was
appointed.
Afghan security
forces have struggled to hold off resurgent Taliban fighters, who are estimated
to control more territory in Afghanistan than at any time since 2001 when the
U.S. invaded.
REUTERS
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