13 August 2016, 08:02 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to The Wall Street Journal, splinter group’s top political deputy and a battlefield commander pledged allegiance to Maulavi Haibatullah Akhundzada.
The splinter group's breakaway from the main Taliban group occurred in autumn of 2015, after which the Afghanistan government tried to use the division to persuade the splinter group to fight the Taliban core, the media added.
The move aims to keep the unity of the Taliban and is a sign that Maulavi Haibatullah Akhundzada, who became a new Taliban leader in December 2015, succeeded in his earlier announced intention to repair the relationship with the splinter group, the media noted.
Afghanistan is in a state of political and social turmoil, fighting the continuing Taliban insurgency, with other extremist groups such as the Islamic State (Daesh) expanding their activities in the country as well.
