Omar’s family declares support for new Taliban leader

Taliban insurgents say that the family of late Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has announced their support for Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour as his successor.

A statement posted on the Taliban’s website on Tuesday said that Mullah Omar’s brother, Mullah Abdul Manan, and eldest son, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoub, declared their support for Mansour’s leadership in a gathering of senior Taliban officials. Manan confirmed to The Associated Press that he and Yaqoub are now pledging their alliance to Mansour; the pair, along with several other senior Taliban commanders, initially rejected Mansour’s ascension.