Succession drives wedge in Taliban

The first signs of the deep fractures within the Afghan Taliban surfaced on Friday as the son of Mullah Mohammad Omar rejected the choice of his successor, just hours after the group issued a statement praising their new leader as one of the late chief’s most “trusted” associates. Mullah Yacoob, Mullah Omar’s oldest son, said he and three other senior leaders had walked out of a meeting called to elect a new leader, and were now demanding a wider vote.