The media was abuzz with reports of internal clashes within the Taliban between rival factions. Considering that Mullah Baradar was last seen on September 05 at a meeting with UN representative Martin Griffiths, several reports even suspected that the Taliban top chief was either injured or killed in the clash.
As per BBC, the clash allegedly took place between the supporters of two rival factions after the argument on who did the most to secure victory over the US and how power was divided in the new cabinet got heated.
Basing their report on a Talibani source, it was said that Baradar and Khalil ur-Rahman Haqqani had exchanged strong words, as their followers brawled with each other nearby.
Baradar refutes rumours
However, putting the rumours to an end, Taliban co-founder and Afghanistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar appeared in an interview on state-owned broadcaster Radio Television Afghanistan on Wednesday.
Mulla Abdul Ghani Biradar is alive. Now who is next? what to make up next? who will fight who? We need to grow up and don not Believe in rumours anymore. This is so unprofessional of BBC.pic.twitter.com/SX4WEZl2Gv
— Hammad(عزام) (@HumveeKhan1) September 15, 2021
The controversy erupted after certain media houses reported a spat between Baradar and Refugees Minister Khalil ur-Rahman Haqqani at the Presidential Palace in Kabul. Allegedly Baradar rushed for Kandahar to meet the Taliban’s supreme leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada.
While Baradar refuted claims of differences in the Jihadi organization’s leadership, he confirmed that he is in Kandahar in the latest interview. In a bid to delegitimize the scores of media reports, the Talibani co-founder insisted that the “sacrifices” of the terror outfit were not for any position.
Not seen in Qatar meeting
The speculations further snowballed after Baradar was missing from the talks held with Qatar’s high-level delegation recently. To this Baradar claimed that he was unaware of the visit of Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani as a result of which he couldn’t join the meeting.
Not happy with Haqqani Network
Reportedly, Baradar is also unhappy with Haqqani Network’s huge representation in the cabinet. Interestingly, a billboard with a picture of Mullah Sangeen Zadran, a former slain commander of the Haqqani Network, appeared in Afghanistan’s Khost province on Tuesday.
“The martyrs who shed life for religion, homeland, and freedom are such magnificent stars in the country and global history that can never diminish,” read the billboard in Pashto.
“The martyrs who shed life for religion, homeland, and freedom are such magnificent stars in the country and global history that can never diminish.” The Pashto reading on the billboards in Khost city reads. pic.twitter.com/81eJtZ01s6
— BILAL SARWARY (@bsarwary) September 14, 2021
The Haqqani Network is closely associated with al-Qaeda and is now a part of the Taliban-led Afghan government. Primarily based in Pakistan, it is now being led by Afghanistan’s Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani.
