’Taliban’ Leader Injured in Kabul Internal Firefight
Local Editor
Officials said on Wednesday that Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was seriously injured in a firefight following a heated argument at a meeting of militant commanders. They further exposed deepening divisions within the fractious militant movement.
The clash took place four months after appointing Mansour the organization's supreme in leadership succession. It was unclear if he survived the clash.
In the context, Sultan Faizi, the spokesman for the Afghan first vice president said that five other Taliban members were killed in the gunfight triggered by a bitter verbal duel at the meeting near the Pakistani town of Quetta.
The development comes amid a renewed push in Afghanistan and Pakistan to jumpstart so-called peace talks with the Taliban, which stalled after the militants belatedly confirmed longtime leader Mullah Omar's death.
Although there was conflicting information on the location of the confrontation, some sources claimed that it took place near Kandahar, the main city of southern Afghanistan and the birthplace of the Taliban.
Mansour was appointed Taliban leader on July 31 soon after the insurgents confirmed the death of Omar, who led the extremist movement for some two decades.
However, splits immediately emerged in the movement following his appointment, with some top leaders refusing to pledge allegiance to him, saying that selecting him was rushed and even biased.
Mansour and his two newly named deputies are seen as close to the Pakistani military establishment, which has historically nurtured and supported the Taliban.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
