Taliban leader denies being wounded in internal dispute

The assertion itself referred to an episode in that happened Friday. through which civilians have been killed by the Afghan National Army in an accidental attack.

He also clarified that the never had a fight with anyone and he has not been to Kuchlak area of Pakistan in years. “The only support that the USA provided was intelligence support and surveillance overwatch during the operation”.

The Taliban said it was a clear proof and should remove any lingering doubts that he was injured or killed in any recent incident.

“This is completely unfounded and let me tell you, and believe me, that I have not visited the Kuchlak area of Quetta for years”, Mansour said in the voice message.

But splits immediately emerged in the group, with some top leaders refusing to pledge allegiance to Mansour, saying the process to select him was rushed and even biased.

While the audio has not been verified by intelligence experts, the voice sounds consistent with those in earlier messages attributed to Mansour.

Hours before the Taliban disclosed details of the audio message Saturday, Afghan authorities reiterated that Mansour had been wounded in the firefight in Pakistan.

The Afghan leaders who used the media to spread the rumours show their weaknesses, he said.

Mansour was appointed leader four months ago in an acrimonious leadership transition and his death, if confirmed, could intensify the power struggle within the fractious group.

“I would like to discuss the Kuchlak issue, where my name is mentioned in some media outlets that in a shootout between two Taliban factions my injury or death resulted”, the man in the recording said, identifying himself as the group’s leader. Scepticism over the Taliban denials has been fueled by the secrecy which surrounded the death of the movement’s founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar.

Mansur’s leadership has been rejected by some factions of the Taliban who accused him of covering up Mullah Omar’s death.

Earlier, Taliban spokesman acknowledged it would take some time to provide evidence that Mansour was still alive. The audio message said internal disagreements were nothing to be concerned about. We have some disagreements on policy.

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