(Reuters) – The Taliban have denied that one of their top leaders was killed in a shootout with rivals, following rumors of the movement’s internal splits almost a month after its quick victory over the Kabul government, backed by the government. ‘West.
Sulail Shaheen, a Taliban spokesman, said Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a former head of the Taliban political office who was appointed deputy prime minister last week, issued a voice message denying claims he had been killed or injured. in a confrontation.
“He says it’s a lie and totally unfounded,” Shaheen said in a message on Twitter.
The Taliban also posted video footage allegedly showing Baradar at meetings in the southern city of Kandahar. Reuters could not immediately verify the images.
The denials follow days of rumors that Baradar supporters had clashed with those of Sirajuddin Haqqani, head of the Haqqani network, which is located near the border with Pakistan and was blamed for some of the worst suicide attacks in Pakistan. the war.
Rumors follow speculation about possible rivalries between military commanders like Haqqani and Doha political office leaders like Baradar, who led diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement with the United States.
The Taliban have repeatedly denied speculation about internal divisions.
Baradar, once seen as the likely head of a Taliban government, had not been seen in public for some time and was not part of the ministerial delegation that met in Qabul on Sunday with Qatar’s foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani.
The movement’s top leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, has also not been seen in public since the Taliban seized Kabul on August 15, although he issued a public statement when the new government was formed last week. past.
Speculation about Taliban leaders has been fueled by the circumstances surrounding the death of the movement’s founder, Mullah Omar, which was only made public in 2015 two years after it took place, sparking bitter recriminations among leaders.
(Report by James Mackenzie; Edited by Mike Collett-White)