Al-Qaeda's Zawahiri vows allegiance to new Taliban chief

DUBAI: Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri on Thursday pledged his group's allegiance to new Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour who is facing a bitter struggle over his leadership.

Mansour, a trusted deputy of longtime Taliban leader Mullah Omar whose death was confirmed last month, is taking charge as the movement faces growing internal divisions and is threatened by the rise of the Islamic State group, which is making inroads in Afghanistan.