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Qaeda leader pledges allegiance to new Taliban chief

13 August 2015 18:37 (UTC +04:00)

"We pledge our allegiance ... (to) our lord, leader of the faithful, Mullah Mohammad Akhtar Mansour, may god protect him," said Zawahiri in an audio message released on Thursday.

The recording, which was purportedly prepared two days after Mansour’s appointment to the top position in Taliban on July 30, was mostly dedicated to praises and admiration of the former leader of the militant group Mullah Omar.

The Afghan government said in late July that Omar had died two years ago in a hospital in the Pakistani city of Karachi. Taliban have confirmed the death of Omar.

During the message, Zawahiri said that members of the al-Qaeda will follow Mansour as they obeyed the orders of Omar during the time of the slain Taliban leader and founder Osama bin Laden.

“As emir of al-Qaeda, I pledge to you our allegiance, following the path of Sheikh (Osama) bin Laden and his martyred brothers in their allegiance to Mullah Omar,” Zawahiri said.

The statement comes amid reports of deepening divisions within the ranks of Taliban as the group has initiated a series of peace talks with the Afghan government. Some senior militant commanders have reportedly boycotted the talks, which started in a resort near the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on July 7. A second round was expected for early August, but Pakistan announced that it had been cancelled.

An Egyptian national and a surgeon, Zawahiri replaced bin Laden in May 2011, after the latter was purportedly killed during an attack by US Marine forces in Pakistan. Zawahiri is reportedly living in areas along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.