Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri pledged the group's allegiance to new Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in an audio recording released Thursday on jihadist websites.

"As emir of Al-Qaeda, I pledge to you our allegiance, following the path of Sheikh (Osama) bin Laden and his martyred brothers in their allegiance to Mullah Omar," Zawahiri said, referring to the former Al-Qaeda leader and to the longtime Taliban chief whose death was confirmed by militants last month.

The statement came amid a bitter struggle within the Taliban over Mansour's leadership.