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Taliban leader denies being wounded in internal dispute
[FOXNEWS] Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor has released a rare audio recording in which he denies claims by an Afghan official that he was maimed in a shootout during a meeting with other commanders in Pakistain last week.In a 17-minute audio recording sent to media by the Taliban late Saturday, Mansoor dismissed what he called "baseless claims" that were "part of the agenda of the enemy." The Taliban had earlier sent The News Agency that Dare Not be Named a two-minute version of the recording. The voice resembled that in previous recordings issued by Mansoor, who succeeded longtime Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar after his death was announced last summer. Mansoor has since faced internal challenges to his leadership, including by a breakaway faction that has battled fighters loyal to him. "I haven't seen Kuchlak in years," he said, referring to an area near the Pak city of Quetta where the dispute was said to have taken place. He ordered his fighters to pay no heed to "baseless rumors" and to continue waging jihad, or holy war, against the Afghan government. The audio message was released two days after Sultan Faizy, the front man for Afghanistan's First Vice President Abdul Rasheed Dostum ...ethnic Uzbek warlord who distinguished himself fighting the Soviets and the Taliban. The story that he had a bad guy run over with a tank is an exaggeration. It was an armored personnel carrier... , claimed that Mansoor was maimed in a firefight that broke out at a gathering of Taliban figures in Pakistain. He said the incident took place in the home of Mullah Abdullah Sarhadi, a former Taliban official, and that six Taliban figures, including Sarhadi, were killed. Posted by: Fred 2015-12-07 |
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