Al-Qaeda Chief Pledges Allegiance to New Afghan Taliban ‘Mullah’

In a sign that there could be dangerous times ahead for Afghanistan and the entire surrounding region, al-Qaeda chief Ayman al Zawahiri pledged allegiance to the newly-appointed Taliban “emir,” Mullah Akhtar Mohammed Mansour, in an audio tape released Thursday by the jihadist group.

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As the Long War Journal’s Thomas Joscelyn points out, the speech is dated August 1, meaning that the al-Qaeda leader recorded his message just two days after the Taliban announced Mansour as their new leader.

By pledging to Mansour, Zawahiri is following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Osama Bin Laden, Joscelyn notes.

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