Afghan Taliban reveals new leader after Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in US drone strike

The Afghan Taliban has announced its new leader following the death of Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone strike last Saturday. Haibatullah Akhundzada, a low-profile religious figure who was head of the Taliban's Islamic courts, has been been named as Mansour's successor.

The surprise announcement coincided with a suicide bombing near the capital Kabul which killed at least 10

court employees in an attack that was not immediately claimed by any group.

It remains unclear which direction Akhundzada, who was one of two deputies under Mansour, will take the terror group which has experienced infighting since its founder, Mullah Omar, was confirmed dead last summer.

Haibatullah Akhundzada has been appointed as the new leader of the Islamic Emirate (Taliban) after a unanimous agreement in the shura (supreme council), and all the members of shura pledged allegiance to him,' the insurgents said in a statement.

It added that Sirajuddin Haqqani, an implacable foe of US forces, and Mullah Yakoub, the son of Taliban founder Mullah Omar, were appointed his deputies.

'The leader of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and commander of faithful, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, was martyred, in a US drone strike in... Pakistan's Balochistan province,' the statement said, in the insurgents' first confirmation of his death.-dailymail reports