Mullah Omar
Taliban announce hardline government as protests grow
The Taliban announced on Sept. 7 an interim government drawn exclusively from their own loyalist ranks, with established hardliners in all key posts and no women - despite previous promises to form an inclusive administration for all Afghans.
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Afghan Taliban announce start of 'spring offensive'
The Afghan Taliban announced on April 12 the start of their "spring offensive" even as the government in Kabul tries to bring the insurgents back to the negotiating table to end their drawn-out conflict.
Russia sees interests 'coincide' with Taliban on fighting ISIL
Russia is exchanging information with the Taliban and sees shared interest with the insurgents when it comes to counteracting the spread of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a senior Russian diplomat said on Dec. 23.
No peace until foreign troops leave Afghanistan: Taliban chief
The Taliban's new leader told Afghanistan's government on Sept. 22 it must cancel a security deal with the United States and expel all foreign troops if it wants peace.
Afghan Taliban admit covering up Mullah Omar's death
The Taliban on Aug. 31 admitted covering up longtime leader Mullah Omar's death for more than two years, saying he died in 2013 as was first claimed by the Afghan intelligence.
Five dead in Taliban suicide blast on Kabul airport road
At least five people were killed on August 10 when a Taliban suicide car bomber struck near the entrance of Kabul's international airport, the latest in a wave of lethal bombings in the Afghan capital.
51 dead, hundreds wounded in lethal wave of Kabul bombings
Fifteen more fatalities were confirmed Saturday from a barrage of bombings in Kabul, taking the toll to 51 in the deadliest day in the Afghan capital since the NATO combat mission ended in December.
Taliban truck bomb kills six in first major attack since power transition
Six people were killed on August 6 when a Taliban suicide bomber detonated an explosives-rigged truck outside a police compound in eastern Afghanistan, in the first major insurgent attack since their announcement of leader Mullah Omar's death.
Mullah Omar's family refuses to back new Taliban leader
The family of deceased Taliban leader Mullah Omar has refused to pledge allegiance to his successor, calling on religious scholars to settle a growing rift within insurgent ranks over the power transition.
Afghan Taliban announce Mullah Akhtar Mansour as new leader
The Taliban announced Mullah Akhtar Mansour as their new leader July 31, marking a historic power transition for the militant movement that has waged a 14-year insurgency in Afghanistan.