Ending months of struggle over the new leadership of the Afghan Taliban, the family of the deceased Mullah Omar has reportedly pledged support to the group's new leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour.
Mullah Akhtar Mansour had been declared the new leader of the Afghan Taliban after the group revealed in July that Mullah Omar, the outfit's founder, had died in Pakistan in 2013.
However, the choice of the new leader had reportedly stirred up an unprecedented rift within the Taliban, with members of Mullah Omar's family opposing the leadership of Mullah Mansour, who had served as the 'aviation minister' during the Taliban rule in Afghanistan.
Mullah Omar's son Mullah Yaqub and brother Mullah Abdul Manan had reportedly sought to take over the Taliban.
Now, the family of Mullah Omar has resolved the internal crisis by issuing a statement of allegiance to Mullah Mansour.
"Al-haj Mullah Abdul Manan, the brother of the honorable late Amirul Momineen (commander of faithful), and son of the late Amirul Momineen have declared allegiance to Mullah Akhtar Mansoor on behalf of their family," Mullah Omar's family said in a statement on Tuesday, The Express Tribune reported.
The infighting had led to reports of attacks by the two sides on each other, with some reports claiming that Mullah Mansour had got Mullah Omar's son killed.
The announcement is likely to not only resolve the Taliban infighting but may also help bring peace talks with the Afghan government back on track.
