Kandahar: Attempts are being made by Afghan officials now, to establish whether or not Taliban supremo Mullah Akhtar Mansour is still alive, after sources said he was “critically” wounded in a firefight following a bitter argument with commanders in the divided militant movement.
The clash broke out just four months after Mansour was appointed Taliban leader in an acrimonious leadership succession soon after the group belatedly confirmed longtime chief Mullah Omar’s death.
The fact that Mansour may have survived the gunfight has threatened to derail a regional push to jump-start peace talks with the Taliban.
The Taliban officially has rejected as “absolutely baseless” the reports of the firefight, which officials and militant sources said was triggered by an altercation at an insurgent gathering that cascaded out of control.
“We are trying to establish whether Mansour is dead or alive,” said Sultan Faizi, the spokesman for the Afghan first vice president and added that his situation is critical, citing credible information.
Sources said that Mansour had been “very seriously injured” in a “heavy exchange of fire” at a gathering of militant commanders near the Pakistani city of Quetta.
