Taliban's Power Transition: Mullah Mansour Is New Chief

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The Taliban appointed Mullah Akhtar Mansour as their new leader, marking a power transition for the militant movement that has waged an almost two-decade long insurgency in Afghanistan.

Mullah Akhtar Mansour, from Maiwand in Afghanistan has been handed the reigns of the Taliban insurgent movement.

Mansour, reportedly lived not far from the home of former Taliban chief Mullah Omar when the country descended into civil war after the withdrawal of Soviet troops and was one of the founding members of the Taliban movement. He has kept a low-profile and there are almost no-verifiable photographs of Mansour.

However, some reports in the western media have called Mansour - a relative moderate who prefers peace talks.

The Taliban have released a 100-second video showing the group's oath of allegiance to Mullah Mansour and the Haqqani network too have backed him as chief but there are some reports of a rift with the family of former chief - Mullah Omar.