KABUL — The Afghan Taliban published a biography of their new leader on Monday as hundreds of insurgents met to resolve a dispute over his appointment following the death of figurehead Mullah Mohammad Omar. The 5,000-word biography, emailed to journalists in five languages, offers the story of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, who now leads the Taliban in its fight against the Afghan government. It describes Mansoor, born in 1968, as a tireless holy warrior, good listener, neat dresser and ardent protector of civilians who was appointed as the insurgents' leader “in full compliance with Islamic law.” Mansoor “never nominated himself for leadership, rather he was selected as the only candidate ... by members of the leading council of the Islamic Emirate and religious scholars,” the biography says, using the name of the former Taliban government. Mansoor was named as the Taliban's leader last month after the Afghan government revealed that Mullah Omar died in 2013. But family of Mullah Omar objected, saying the vote to elect Mansoor was not representative of the group, sparking an internal power struggle. Hundreds of Taliban fighters, including battlefield commanders, are meeting in the Pakistani city of Quetta in an effort to resolve the leadership dispute. The release of the biography appears to be an attempt by Mansoor's supporters to shore up his position and consolidate his power ahead of the meeting's delegates making a final decision about who leads them. That decision could be made within days. “Mansour is trying to show that he is the leader and no one can reach him on that level,” said Mohammad Ismail Qasimyar, the foreign relations adviser to the Afghan government's High Peace Council, which is charged with ending the war. — AP
