Comment on New Afghan Taliban leader promises to continue insurgency

KABUL, Afghanistan — The new leader of the Afghan Taliban vowed to continue his group’s bloody, nearly 14-year insurgency in an audio message released Saturday, urging his fighters to remain unified after the death of their longtime leader. The audio message purportedly from Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor also included comments about the Taliban’s nascent peace talks with the Afghan government, though it wasn’t immediately clear whether he supported them or not. Mansoor took over the Taliban after the group on Thursday confirmed that former leader Mullah Mohammad Omar had died and said they elected Mansoor as his successor.