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Afghan Taliban release statement praising new leader

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) 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 31, 2015 1 min read

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – The Afghan Taliban are praising their new leader, saying he was one of the most “trusted” associates of the late Mullah Mohammad Omar.

Friday’s statement, sent to The Associated Press, says the new leader, Mullah Mohammad Akhtar Mansoor, has also been given the title of “Commander of the Faithful,” conferring on him the supreme status held by Mullah Omar.

It describes Mansoor as an “active director” of the jihad, or holy war, for some years.

The Taliban on Thursday confirmed that Mullah Omar died of an illness some time ago and said they elected Mansoor as his successor. The Afghan government announced Wednesday that the reclusive mullah had been dead since 2013.

The Taliban reacted by pulling out of peace talks that were scheduled to take place on Friday.