Mullah Akhundzada had close ties to former Taliban leader Mansour, as he served as one of his two deputies. He is a religious scholar, and is regarded as a conservative hawk who would rather keep the armed struggle against Kabul alive than come to a negotiated understanding.

Akhundzada’s religious background will be mitigated by his two battle-hardened deputies in Sirajuddin Haqqani, head of the infamous Haqqani network, and Mullah Yaqoub, the son of former Taliban leader Mullah Omar.

Akhundzada was absent during the Afghan Mujahideen which solidified Mullahs Mansour and Omar’s reputations on the battlefield. At the time he was thought to be studying in Pakistan.

The selection can be considered somewhat of a consensus pick insofar that it doesn’t put any of the warring internal factions in an advantageous position. It’s notable too that Mullah Yaqoub was brought in as a deputy under Akhundzada. The son of former Taliban leader Mullah Omar had been a thorn in the side of the Mansour regime in the days immediately following the revelation of Omar’s death, but it appears a compromise was struck earlier this year when Yaqoub was elevated to a position on the Quetta shura; his uncle and Mullah Omar’s brother Mullah Akhund was also elevated to a senior position at the same time back in April, 2016.