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Rifts Among Taliban Set To Deepen: Analysts
 [Tolo News] Rifts among the Taliban after the death of their former leader Mullah Mohammad Omar will not end in the near future, say analysts and sources close to the group, adding that the roots of the differences among the Taliban's divided groups are well entrenched and will remain so for a long time.It is believed that cracks among the Taliban leadership ranks were apparent in the past but only came to light after the news broke of Mullah Omar's death. Zabul, Herat and Farah have so far been witness to heavy clashes between the two factions – those who support Mullah Omar's successor Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour and those who support the breakaway faction's leader Mullah Mohammad Rassoul Noorzai. The recent clashes have resulted in numerous deaths among Taliban fighters. "You heard recently that the Taliban factions fought in Batikot district [in Nangarhar province]. They [Taliban's divided factions] often fight each other and sometimes Daesh fighters interfere in their infighting," said Ghalib Mujahid, Achin district chief. Security sources and analysts believe that the infighting among the Taliban factions will occur mostly in southern and western parts of Afghanistan. "Mullah Mohammad Rassoul has more influence in Herat and his supporters are from Herat, Farah, Nimroz and some of them are from Helmand province. Therefore he will have influence mostly in southern and south-western parts," said Mullah Abdul Bari Fayaz, the head of the High Peace Council Committee in Helmand. "On the other hand, Mullah Mohammad Mansour has more influence in Helmand because of tribal and regional issues, and his supporters are mostly from Helmand. It is expected that he will have more power in Helmand, Kandahar and Uruzgan provinces," he added. However, it is believed that the rifts among the Taliban will extend beyond the borders and it is said that most Taliban fighters live on the other side of the border. One example of this is of recent reports that emerged stating Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour was wounded during clashes recently – across the border. In addition, Mullah Manan Niazi, a spokesman for one Taliban faction linked to Mullah Rassoul, said recently that Mullah Mansour had been responsible for keeping Mullah Omar's death a secret and said Mullah Omar was killed on the day of the opening of the insurgent group's Qatar office. However, this claim has been rejected by Mullah Mansour. Analysts meanwhile believe that the rifts will deep if the region's spy agencies interfere in their operations. "If Mullah Mohammad Rassoul is supported by the region's spy agency(ies) the conflicts (among Taliban) will increase gradually," said Nazar Mohammad Motmaen, analyst in political affairs. This comes at a time when peace talks are once again on the cards after President Ashraf Ghani announced this week that negotiations will restart in the near future. Posted by: Fred 2015-12-16 |
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