The Afghan Taliban on Saturday released an audio message it said was from leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor vehemently rejecting reports of his death in a firefight with his own commanders as “enemy propaganda.”
The 16-minute file said those “rumors” had been deliberately planted to weaken the Taliban, which has seen a new resurgence under the firebrand supremo despite its internal divisions.
“I have recorded this message to let everyone know that I am alive,” the man purported to be Mansoor says in a relaxed drawl.
Photo: AP
Multiple reports citing intelligence and insurgent sources had stated that Mansoor was wounded or killed on Tuesday last week in a firefight at an insurgent gathering in Kuchlak, near Quetta in Pakistan.
“I didn’t have a fight with anyone, no meeting was held and I have not been to Kuchlak in years. This is all enemy propaganda,” the message added.
The clip, e-mailed to media by a Taliban spokesman, comes after days of fevered speculation about the fate of Mansoor, who was elected leader just four months ago in a bitter power succession.
The voice in the clip could not be independently verified by reporters, while some militant commanders said it appeared to be that of Mansoor.
However, Afghan government spokesman Sultan Faizi, who sparked a flurry of reactions when he on Friday said on Twitter that Mansoor was dead, said it was not certain the audio message was from him.
“We will do our assessment,” he said on Twitter after the release of the message.
The Taliban, which saw its first formal split last month, had appeared anxious to quell speculation about Mansoor’s death as it grapples with simmering divisions inside the movement.
Vehement denials by the extremist group of any shoot-out had fallen on skeptical ears, especially after they kept the death of longtime chief Mullah Omar secret for two years.
“The Taliban is suffering from a credibility crisis after they admitted to hiding Omar’s death,” Kabul-based military analyst Jawed Kohistani told reporters.
Mansoor was declared Taliban leader on July 31 after the insurgents confirmed the death of Omar, who led the militant movement for about two decades.
However, splits immediately emerged in the group, with some top leaders refusing to pledge allegiance to Mansoor, saying the process to select him was rushed and even biased.
Many were also unhappy that Omar’s death had been kept secret for two years — during which time annual Eid al-Fitr statements were issued in his name.
A breakaway faction of the Taliban led by Mullah Mohammed Rasool was formed last month, in the first formal division in the once-unified group.
However, Mansoor’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.
They briefly captured the strategic northern city of Kunduz in September in their most spectacular victory in 14 years and opened new battlefronts across the country.
Speculation about Mansoor’s death has also threatened to derail a renewed regional push to jump-start peace talks with the Taliban.
Mansoor is believed to be a proponent of talks with Afghan authorities, a deeply contentious issue that has prompted much rancor within hardline insurgent ranks.
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