New Delhi, 15 September
A big row erupted last week among Taliban leaders over the composition of the group’s new government in Afghanistan, the BBC reported.
The argument between group co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and a cabinet member went to the presidential palace, according to the report.
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There have been unconfirmed reports of disagreements with the Taliban leadership since Baradar disappeared from public view in recent days.
A Taliban source told the BBC Pashto that Baradar and Khalil ur-Rahman Haqqani – the refugee minister and a prominent figure in the Haqqani militant network – had exchanged forceful words as their followers quarreled closely.
Taliban sources told the BBC that Baradar had left Kabul and traveled to the city of Kandahar following the line.
A senior Qatari-based Taliban member and a person related to those involved also confirmed that a discussion had taken place late last week, according to the report.
Sources said the argument had erupted because Baradar, the new deputy prime minister, was dissatisfied with the structure of his interim government.
It has been said that the row arose from the divisions over who in the Taliban should take the credit for their victory in Afghanistan.
According to reports, Baradar believes that emphasis should be placed on diplomacy carried out by people like him, while members of the Haqqani group, led by one of the highest Taliban figures, and its sponsors say it is achieve through struggle.
Meanwhile, the powerful Haqqani network is associated with some of the most violent attacks that have taken place in Afghanistan against Afghan forces and their Western allies in recent years. The United States designates the group as a terrorist organization.
Its leader, Sirajuddin Haqqani, is the interior minister of the new government.
Rumors of the consequences have been circulating since late last week, when Baradar – one of the Taliban’s best-known faces – disappeared from public view. It was speculated on social media that he may have died.
Sources told the BBC that Baradar was expected to return to Kabul and that he could appear on camera to deny that any argument had taken place.
There is still speculation about the Taliban’s supreme commander, Hibatullah Akhundzada, who has never been seen in public. He is responsible for the political, military and religious affairs of the Taliban. – IANS