#Taliban release audio message to prove leader is alive

The Taliban on Saturday released an audio message purportedly from its leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, to dispute the Afghan government’s claim that he had been wounded or killed in a gunfight between members of the group.

Durin the 16-minute message, the man purported to be Mansur says the reports about his condition were spread intentionally to create divisions within the Taliban.

“That incident never happened. This is propaganda of the enemy”, the message said.

The statement on Twitter followed days of uncertainty over the fate of Mansour, after multiple reports said he had been badly wounded in the shootout at the home of another Taliban commander in Quetta, western Pakistan, late on Tuesday.

Mansoor took over as the head of the Afghan Taliban in July after the death of his predecessor Mullah Omar, who led the movement for nearly 20 years but had not been seen in public since the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan. “They should stay impartial”, the man claiming to be Mansour said.

“I would like to discuss the Kuchlak issue, where my name is mentioned in some media outlets in that in a shootout between two Taliban factions my injury or death resulted”, the human being within the recording stated, identifying himself as the group’s leader.

The Islamist motion had repeatedly denied that Mansour had been harm however the extremely uncommon audio message appeared to mirror concern at how widespread the studies had grow to be and the way damaging they might show to unity.

“I have recorded this message to let everyone know that I am alive”, a voice, claiming to be Mansoor, says in the recording.

“The Taliban is suffering from a credibility crisis after they admitted to hiding Omar’s death for years”, Kabul-based military analyst Jawed Kohistani told AFP.

He said “I want to assure that there had been no incident of gunfight”.

For years, there were off-and-on rumors that Omar was dead and no longer leading the Taliban.”Simply posting denials… won’t be considered credible enough, especially after Omar’s death was concealed for years”.

Afghan intelligence officials announced his death in July, with the Taleban later confirming their founder had died in 2013, apparently due to illness.

A renewed regional push to jump-start peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban could be derailed should it be confirmed that Mansoor had died.