New Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour calls for unity

The new leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, has called for unity in an audio message, saying that the group will continue fighting.

Mullah Mansour was named as the new leader on Thursday, after the death of former head Mullah Omar was confirmed, BBC reported.

But a Taliban spokesman told the BBC he had not been appointed "by all Taliban", going against Sharia law.

The audio message said fighters should unite as "division in our ranks will only please our enemies".

It also said that the Taliban would "continue our jihad until we bring an Islamic rule in the country".

The 30-minute recording - in which a crying baby is heard at some points - was released to journalists by Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid on Saturday