Haibatullah Akhundzada is the new leader Taliban

Taliban have appointed Haibatullah Akhundzada as their new leader, officially confirming that their former chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in a US drone strike last week.

“Haibatullah Akhundzada has been appointed as the new leader of Taliban after a unanimous agreement in the Shura (supreme council),” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Wednesday.

Haibatullah previously served as a deputy to Mansour and was a former head of the Taliban’s “judiciary.”

Sirajuddin Haqqani, the head of a network responsible for a series of powerful bomb attacks across Kabul in recent years, and Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob, the son of founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, were also named deputies.

Background on this from Katehon:

Attempts to negotiate with the Taliban with the participation of the different parties have previously failed. Suicide attacks are particularly frequent in Afghanistan in Kabul, and one such terrorist attack in the last month killed 64 people.

The US hoped that the death of the Taliban leader would lead to panic and a further split among the Taliban. In Afghanistan and Pakistan there are a number of paramilitary groups who did not recognize the supremacy of Mansour. Just a few days before, the Afghan government was also able to conclude a truce with the group "Hezb-e-Islami", led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.

The most serious threat is the network of Sirajuddin Haqqani, who was formally Mansour’s deputy. He is also an opponent to any negotiations. In this regard, it is logical to assume that now the Taliban factions under Haqqani’s control will start a series of armed, terroristic attacks.