Q&A: A look at the new leader of Afghanistan’s Taliban

An Afghan shop clerk shows a calendar with pictures of Afghan leaders including Mullah Mohammad Omar, center, in Kandahar, south of Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, July 30, 2015. The Taliban confirmed the death of longtime leader Mullah Omar and appointed his successor Thursday, as a new round of peace talks was indefinitely postponed amid concerns over how committed the new leadership is to ending the militant group's 14-year insurgency. (AP Photo/Barialai Khoshhal)

By Associated Press July 30, 2015 4 min read

Little is known about the new Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Akhtar Mansoor, who was tapped to succeed Mullah Mohammad Omar after the shadowy leader’s death was announced Thursday.

But Mullah Mansoor is said to be close to Pakistani authorities, who in recent months have moved to improve relations with Afghanistan and who hosted peace talks between the government and the Taliban earlier this month.

Those talks were indefinitely postponed after Mullah Omar’s death was announced this week. Mullah Mansoor’s closeness to Islamabad places him in a good position to revive them, but only if he can rein in hard-liners who want to continue the 14-year insurgency, and who feel they have the wind at their backs now that U.S. and NATO forces have stepped back.

Here’s a look at Mullah Mansoor and what may lie ahead for the Taliban and Afghanistan.

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