No evidence to prove Taliban chief dead, says Afghan leader

Multiple reports citing intelligence and insurgent sources had stated that Mansour was wounded or killed on Tuesday in a firefight at an insurgent gathering in either Kuchlak or near Kandahar.

Doubts continued to linger among the group’s senior ranks, who are distrustful of their leadership following a two-year cover-up of the death of the Taliban’s founder and first leader Mullah Omar. “This is enemy propaganda”, a person claiming to be Mullah Mansour said in the message…

But two other Taliban officials based in Pakistan’s Quetta city said the clip was genuine and said they had been present at the recording. “I didn’t have a fight with anyone, no meeting was held and I have not been to Kuchlak [near Quetta in Pakistan] in years”.

The 16-minute message said that the reports had been deliberately spread to create divisions in the Taliban.

But Rahimullah Yousufzai, a Pakistani analyst and long-time Taleban observer, said the voice sounded like Mansour’s. “I believe it is him”, he said, but added questions would be asked over the delay in releasing the clip.

“I want to assure that there had been no incident of gunfight”, Mansoor said while speaking in Pashto.

“Why did they wait nearly five days to do that?”

As of now, there has been no direct evidence for the alleged firefight between the senior commanders of the Taliban, nor has there been any statement from Mansour himself, though The New York Times reported that Taliban officials have promised to release a voice recording of Monsour to prove he is alive.

His claim to the leadership has been rejected by some factions in the Taliban who have accused him of covering up Mullah Omar’s death and seizing power without proper authority.

As he headed for a regional conference in Islamabad December 8 that has raised hopes for a revival of peace talks with the Taliban, Ghani sought to stifle rampant speculation about Mansour’s fate.

The Taliban has been divided since confirming in July that its founder and leader Mullah Mohammad Omar had died two years ago.

He was believed to be a proponent of such talks, a stance which prompted rancor among hardline insurgents.