A Taliban group commander affiliated with Mullah Mohammad Rasool has declared Jihad against Taliban’s self-declared supreme leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor in northwestern Badghis province of Afghanistan.The Taliban commander, Mullah Ghafoor Tufan, has accused Mansoor of working for Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) and murdering several Taliban leaders.
He has also accused Mullah Mansoor of killing the Taliban group founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, a claim which the Taliban dissident leaders were making following his death.
Another Taliban splinter group, Fidai Mahaz, said last year that Mullah Omar was poisoned to death by Mullah Mansoor following the opening of the Taliban liaison office in Qatar which resulted to serious rift among the two leaders.
The announcement to fight the militants loyal to Mansoor was made recently in Qads district which comes days after a deadly infighting among the fighters of the two top Taliban leaders.
The infighting in Shindand district of Herat province left nearly 200 militants dead and scores of others wounded, while the Taliban insurgents were accused of war crimes, including killing of civilians and torching their houses.
Meanwhile, the local residents in Qads district have expressed deep concerns regarding the gathering of the Taliban militants declaring war against each other, with local provincial council officials calling on the government to prevent the group to organize such gatherings.