Taliban New Chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor

New Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor called for unity in the movement in his first audio message released Saturday amid reports of rifts in their ranks following the announcement of the death of former chief Mullah Omar.

Taliban's newly anointed chief, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, may have kept fellow insurgents in the dark for the past two years by claiming to pass orders and messages from Mullah Muhammad Omar, even though he knew that his boss had died in 2013, according to a media report.

New Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor called for unity in the movement in his first audio message released Saturday amid reports of rifts in their ranks following the announcement of the death of former chief Mullah Omar.

Taliban's newly anointed chief, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, may have kept fellow insurgents in the dark for the past two years by claiming to pass orders and messages from Mullah Muhammad Omar, even though he knew that his boss had died in 2013, according to a media report.