An audiotape purportedly recorded by Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor has been released in an attempt to rubbish claims he was killed or injured in a fight with other militants.
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The audio message, said to come from Mansour himself, rejects “enemy rumours” that he was badly wounded or even killed when a dispute escalated during a meeting with other Taliban commanders near Quetta in Pakistan last week. This incident by no means occurred and it isn’t true.
A man purporting to Mullah Mansoor dismissed the reports as propaganda and an attempt to further to spread the propaganda regarding growing difference among the Taliban ranks which led to infighting.
Rahimullah Yousufzai, a Pakistani analyst and long-time observer of the Taleban, said the voice sounded like Mansour’s.
Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah issued an official statement in which he said, “The Afghan government confirms leader of a Taliban faction, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor” was wounded in a clash near Quetta, “but we don’t know whether he survived”. Earlier, Sultan Faizi, the spokesman for the Afghan first vice president, said Mansour sustained injuries after a shootout caused by an argument between Taliban leaders during a meeting on Tuesday night, Xinhua reported.
The Islamist motion had repeatedly denied that Mansour had been harm however the extremely uncommon audio message appeared to mirror concern at how widespread the studies had grow to be and the way damaging they might show to unity.
Speculation about Mansour’s fate reached a fever pitch after unconfirmed media reports on Friday claimed that he had died.
Splits subsequently emerged among the insurgents, with some commanders saying Mansour’s selection had been biased.
Mansour, the longtime number two in the Taliban, was formally named leader immediately after Mullah Omar’s death was confirmed.
A breakaway faction of the Taliban led by Mullah Mohamed Rasool was formed in November, in the first formal division in the once-unified group.
But Mansour’s group has seen a resurgence in recent months, opening new battlefronts across the country with Afghan forces struggling to beat back the expanding insurgency.
The shootout also threatens to derail a renewed regional push to jump-start peace talks with the Taliban.
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He was believed to be a proponent of such talks, a stance which prompted rancor among hardline insurgents.
