Dec 3, 2015- Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour has been seriously wounded in shooting at a meeting of militants in Pakistan, Taliban sources say.
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A senior Pakistani intelligence official told AFP that Mansour had been “very seriously injured” in what he described as a “heavy exchange of fire” at a gathering of militant commanders near the Pakistani city of Quetta.
According to Fayzi, a quarrel broke out between the two men, which, the spokesman claimed, quickly escalated into an armed confrontation.
Another Taliban source, spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, denied that any shootout had taken place or that Mansoor was hurt. They said they were seeking confirmation of the Taliban’s chief’s status.
His account was confirmed by another Afghan Taliban source.
Afghan officials said Mansoor was injured during a meeting of the Afghan Taliban in Kuchlak area, some 25 km east of Quetta, the provincial capital, on Wednesday.
“Up to eight terrorists were killed, several wounded and one was arrested when Afghan security forces carried out cleanup operations over the past 24 hours”, the ministry said in a statement providing operational updates, Xinhua reported.
The deadly incident comes amid a renewed effort to jump-start peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban.
But the Islamist movement has split into openly warring factions since Mullah Omar died.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif voiced a willingness to revive stalled peace talks when the two met briefly on the sidelines of a climate-change conference in Paris on December 1.
The Taliban typically denies reports that could hurt its standing.
“During the discussion, some senior people developed differences and they opened fire at each other”, said a senior Taliban commander, Reuters reports. The United States and China have been pushing for the process to restart, but frosty ties between Islamabad and Kabul have hampered those efforts.
A splinter group of senior Taliban commanders reportedly was set up last month and is led by Mullah Mohammad Rasool.
Pakistan hosted the historic first round of peace talks in July.
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Taliban has been riled with serious internal divisions over leadership since Omar’s death was confirmed in July.
