Taliban reaffirms authority of its Qatar 'political office'

The Afghan Taliban today said its "political office" in Qatar is the only entity authorised to carry out negotiations on its behalf, reinforcing the authority of the man who took over amid a tussle over command following the death of Mullah Mohammad Omar.
The Taliban made the declaration in a summary emailed by spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid of a statement it made during unofficial, closed-door talks taking place in the Qatari capital, Doha.
Those talks are organised by Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, a Nobel peace prize-winning group focused on resolving conflict.
Members of the Taliban's Qatar office are believed to be directly linked to Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, who officially assumed the top position after Omar's death was announced last year.