A senior Pakistani cleric widely known as the "Father of the Taliban" offered on Thursday to mediate to resolve a leadership dispute that threatens to split the insurgent movement in Afghanistan after confirmation of founder Mullah Omar's death.
The new Afghan Taliban leader appealed for unity in the insurgency in his first public message released on Saturday amid reports his predecessor's family members opposed his selection.
At the Taliban meeting this week where Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour was named as the Islamist militant group's new head, several senior figures in the movement, including the son and brother of late leader Mullah Omar, walked out in protest.
China is likely to host a second round of peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban representatives next week, an Afghan official said on Friday, raising hopes for progress toward a political settlement to end years of bloodshed.
