Mullah Mansour dead, new Taliban caretaker chief appointed -- Pakistani Media

[BanglaBhoot]

ISLAMABAD, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour has reportedly died and Taliban has appointed Moulavi Haibatullah Akhunzada as the new caretaker chief, Pakistani local Urdu TV "Channel 24" quoted its own sources from Afghanistan as saying on Friday night.

Channel 24, without identifying its sources, said Mansour succumbed to the injuries that he sustained on Wednesday in a gunfight following a harsh argument during a meeting of Afghan Taliban commanders near Pakistan's southwestern city of Quetta.

Akhunzada, who was the deputy chief of Taliban and a member of the supreme council, has reportedly been appointed as the new caretaker chief of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban), the reports said.

A source in Afghanistan also showed an alleged picture of Mansour depicting that he is dead, but it was not confirmed.

Earlier on Friday, a spokesman of Afghan Taliban rejected the reports of the death of Mansour, saying that the reports are "baseless, untrue propaganda of the enemy and intelligence agencies trying to sow confusion among the people."

On Thursday, Pakistan's foreign ministry also denied reports that Mansour has been injured in gunfight in the country's southwestern Balochistan province.

"We do not have any reports about the incident and the Afghan Taliban spokesman has also denied the reports," Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said during media briefing.

Afghan officials claimed that Mansour was injured on Wednesday during a meeting of the Afghan Taliban in Kuchlak area, some 25 km from Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan.

An Afghan official had told media in Kabul on Wednesday that firing started in the meeting at the residence of a Taliban leader, Abdullah Sarhadi, after exchange of hot words that also killed at least four other Taliban commanders.

Sarhadi also denied the incident, according to a section of the Afghan media.

On Thursday, Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, issued a statement and rejected the reports as "part of propaganda by the Afghan intelligence agents".

"Our credible sources state that Amir-ul-Mumineen (the Chief of faithful) has no presence in the stated area. The enemy falsely claimed that the incident took place in the home of Sarhadi, despite the fact that his home is not even based in Kuchlak region," the statement said.

On July 29, Mansour was appointed the chief of Afghan Taliban to replace former Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar who passed away two years ago after a prolonged illness. Members of the leading council of the Taliban had also appointed Akhunzada and Mullah Sirajuddin Haqqani as the deputy heads.

According to Afghan media, the appointment of Mansour triggered controversies among Taliban ranks as different groups refused to accept him as the successor of Omar, the founder of Taliban. Since Mansour assumed leadership of Taliban, a couple of severe armed clashes between Mansour group and other Taliban groups had been reported.

 

[I.R.A]

Wednesday in a gunfight following a harsh argument during a meeting of Afghan Taliban commanders near Pakistan's southwestern city of Quetta.

That is highly impossible .........................

 

[Battle Axe]

And here Pakistanis are getting excited that Taliban will rule Afghanistan.

How does this not qualify as a troll attempt?

 

[Max Pain]

How does this not qualify as a troll attempt?

it is a troll attempt and should be promptly reported.

 

[Samandri]

They are displaying the weakness which is characteristically trait of of Pashtun tribal people, the infighting......TTP displayed the same weakness and were killing each other in the midst of impending military operation against them. Now Afghan Taliban are opening fire on each other in a meeting

 

[BanglaBhoot]

Pakistan giving Taliban leadership to Haqqani network, claims India’s ambassador to Kabul

Indian Ambassador to Kabul Amar Sinha has urged India to intervene in Taliban peace talks, claiming Pakistan is giving the group’s leadership to the Haqqani network.

Rivalries within the militant group are intense given the recent attack on Mullah Akhtar Mansoor in Quetta, Sinha said while speaking to The Hindu.

“India should intervene as Pakistan seems to be negotiating with only one faction of Taliban apart from giving leadership space to the Haqqani network, which is on the verge of getting international recognition as the de facto Taliban, due to Pakistan’s initiative,” the paper further said quoting the ambassador.

Sinha warned that under the present arrangement with the Taliban, the Haqqani Network will be party to the talks. “How will the Haqqani network play a key role in future without being stricken off the terror list of various countries?” he questioned.

The consequence of Pakistan’s peace negotiation with the Taliban, he said, will be that the international community will be presented with a “fait accompli” of dealing with the Haqqani network as the legitimate Taliban leadership.

“Pakistan is trying to convince Afghanistan to come along to a bad deal with Taliban,” he alleged.

The Indian ambassador said that Afghans perceive India as a shining part of South Asia and they expect India to speak forcefully on issues of regional interest. “The Heart of Asia conference of December 7 provides a new opportunity to bring peace to Afghanistan and should be given a chance as it promises an Afghan-led peace process,” he maintained.

Sinha’s statement came following ‘misreporting’ regarding his statement on a meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani in Paris this week.

The Indian ambassador to Kabul clarified that the Pakistani media and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted without perusing the entire text of what he had said. “Meeting of heads of governments in Paris is a positive thing. I stated that the statement of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Paris is positive and we will see reduction in violence if we stay on a track built by consultation,” he upheld.

Further, he said Afghanistan’s cooperation with Pakistan under the present set of circumstances will mean Kabul is allowing Islamabad to determine the Taliban leadership which should not happen as Afghanistan’s peace will have to be determined by the Afghans themselves.

“Indian media should question the charade of Mullah Omar’s death, the quick coronation of Mullah Akhtar Mansour and the hurried attempt to start talks with Taliban even before the issue of Taliban’s leadership is resolved” Sinha told The Hindu.

The peace process was called off by the Taliban in July this year following disclosure that their longtime elusive supreme leader Mullah Omar had died over two years ago. The confirmation came barely days before Afghan government officials and Taliban representatives were to hold a second round of talks. The first rare face-to-face meeting between the two sides was held in Pakistan’s popular tourist resort of Murree in the first week of July.

Pakistan giving Taliban leadership to Haqqani network, claims India’s ambassador to Kabul - The Express Tribune

 

[Yaduveer]

Once Taliban stands for purity,truth and justice even though it was harsh and brutal at times. Even enemy respected Mullah Omar.

What are they stands for now? Lies ,violence,capture of power by any means.

No wonder nobody likes them now.

 

[rockstar08]

I hope all Jirga in Pashtoon Tribes get this kill each other in meetings .. that will be so helpful for Pakistan ..

Good work Taliban .. Kill each other
because if Army got you first , you will be in hell of a trouble

 

[BanglaBhoot]

Afghan Taliban chief releases audio message, refuting death rumor

ISLAMABAD, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan Taliban supreme leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor said late Saturday in an audio message that he is alive and safe after some claims by senior Afghan officials that he had been killed in gunfight in Pakistan.

"There is no truth in the rumours that I was either injured or killed in the infighting at Pakistan's Kuchlak area. This is the enemy's propaganda. The enemy has launched the propaganda to claim that the Taliban differences have led to infighting," Mansoor said in the audio message.

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

The audio message was released two days after Sultan Faizy, a spokesman for the first vice president of Afghanistan, said that Mansoor had died of injuries he recently sustained in a gunfight at a meeting in Pakistan's Balochistan province.

Faizy had claimed that Mansoor was injured in gunfight at a meeting of the Taliban commanders in Kuchlak area of Balochistan.

Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah on Thursday issued an official statement in which he said, "The Afghan government confirms leader of a Taliban faction, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor" was wounded in a clash near Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, "but we don't know whether he survived."

There was no independent verification of the audio.

"The audio message is aimed at giving you assurance that I am safe. This was an enemy propaganda who cannot tolerate the Muslims' achievements. The enemy was bent upon creating panic among the Muslims and the Mujahideen," the Taliban leader said in the message.

He said he did not want to record this message but the Taliban leaders wanted him to say this to quash the rumours.

"I am safe and my colleagues are safe. I am with my colleagues. I was not in Kuchlak," he said, adding those Afghan leaders who used the media to spread the rumors show their weaknesses.

 

[Indika]

Afghan Taliban chief releases audio message, refuting death rumor

ISLAMABAD, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Afghan Taliban supreme leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor said late Saturday in an audio message that he is alive and safe after some claims by senior Afghan officials that he had been killed in gunfight in Pakistan.

"There is no truth in the rumours that I was either injured or killed in the infighting at Pakistan's Kuchlak area. This is the enemy's propaganda. The enemy has launched the propaganda to claim that the Taliban differences have led to infighting," Mansoor said in the audio message.

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

The audio message was released two days after Sultan Faizy, a spokesman for the first vice president of Afghanistan, said that Mansoor had died of injuries he recently sustained in a gunfight at a meeting in Pakistan's Balochistan province.

Faizy had claimed that Mansoor was injured in gunfight at a meeting of the Taliban commanders in Kuchlak area of Balochistan.

Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah on Thursday issued an official statement in which he said, "The Afghan government confirms leader of a Taliban faction, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor" was wounded in a clash near Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, "but we don't know whether he survived."

There was no independent verification of the audio.

"The audio message is aimed at giving you assurance that I am safe. This was an enemy propaganda who cannot tolerate the Muslims' achievements. The enemy was bent upon creating panic among the Muslims and the Mujahideen," the Taliban leader said in the message.

He said he did not want to record this message but the Taliban leaders wanted him to say this to quash the rumours.

"I am safe and my colleagues are safe. I am with my colleagues. I was not in Kuchlak," he said, adding those Afghan leaders who used the media to spread the rumors show their weaknesses.

video & voice can be faked all the time. Even with mullah omar it was same case.

 

[Zarvan]

Once Taliban stands for purity,truth and justice even though it was harsh and brutal at times. Even enemy respected Mullah Omar.

What are they stands for now? Lies ,violence,capture of power by any means.

No wonder nobody likes them now.

Really ? They are surviving because of massive support which they have inside Afghanistan.

 

[Pulsar]

A new element in the Afghanistan imbroglio is the arrival of the ISIS aided by a breakaway faction of the Taliban. Afghanistan is heading for chaos which is bad news for Pakistan.