Publication

This paper discusses the implications of the news given in July 2015 that Taliban leader Mullah Umar died in April 2013 for the intra-Afghan peace process, the future of the Taliban movement, regional peace, and Afghanistan-Pakistan bilateral relations. The author argues that Umar’s death will 1) spark a protracted power struggle within the Taliban movement; 2) derail the fledgling peace process between the Taliban and Afghan government; 3) create new opportunities in Afghanistan for the so-called Islamic State; 4) confront Islamabad with uncomfortable questions regarding the Taliban in exile in Pakistan; and 5) undermine the US exit strategy from Afghanistan.