Over 40 freed from Taliban prison in US-Afghan raid

A purported audio message from the leader of the Afghan Taliban militant group vehemently dismisses widespread reports that he has been killed in an internal firefight during a meeting of Taliban commanders in Pakistan.

“I want to assure that there had been no incident of gunfight”, Mansoor said while speaking in Pashto. This incident never happened and it is not true. “This is propaganda of the enemy”, the message said.

“We even don’t know where he was taken but some of our people later told us he was admitted in a private hospital and that his condition was still critical”, said one senior Taliban member close to Mansour.

Afghan officials said Mansoor was fatally injured on Wednesday during a meeting of the Afghan Taliban in Kuchlak area, some 25 km from Quetta, the provincial capital of Baluchistan. But a spokesman for the Afghan Taliban strongly denied the reports.

Sultan Faizy, spokesman for Afghan first Vice President General Abdul Rashid Dostum, said in his twitter account late Thursday that Mullah Mansoor succumbed to injuries he suffered during a gunfight.

The clip, emailed to media by a Taliban spokesman, comes after days of fevered speculation about the fate of Mansour, who was elected leader just four months ago in a bitter power succession.

The release of the belated news of his death triggered a battle of succession among the Taliban as Mulla Akhtar Mansour quickly got himself chosen as Mulla Omar’s successor by the Rahbari Shura (leadership council). Mullah Omar died in 2013 but his death was only confirmed in July.

Many were also unhappy that Omar’s death had been kept secret for two years – during which time annual Eid statements were issued in his name.

Splits subsequently emerged among the insurgents, with some commanders saying Mansour’s selection had been biased.

Taliban members too were confused and concerned about the growing turmoil in their ranks following the death of their supreme leader Mulla Mohammad Omar.

Last month, the breakaway faction of the Taliban elected its own leader, Mullah Mohammed Rasool Akhund, sparking speculation over the unity of the group.

A former governor and Taliban official Mullah Abdullah Sarhadi and five others were also killed in the gunfire exchange.

He was believed to be a proponent of such talks, a stance which prompted rancor among hardline insurgents.