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| Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar signed the Doha agreement on the withdrawal of US troops on behalf of the Taliban. (Photo by=AFP) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] A major row broke out between leaders of the Taliban just days after they set up a new government in Afghanistan, senior Taliban officials told the BBC. Supporters of two rival factions reportedly brawled at the presidential palace in the capital Kabul.
The argument appeared to center on who did the most to secure victory over the US, and how power was divided up in the new cabinet. The Taliban have officially denied the reports. The group seized control of Afghanistan last month, and has since declared the country an "Islamic Emirate". Their new interim cabinet is entirely male and made up of senior Taliban figures, some of whom are notorious for attacks on US forces over the past two decades. The dispute came to light after a Taliban co-founder, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, disappeared from view for several days.
One Taliban source told BBC Pashto that Mr. Baradar and Khalil ur-Rahman Haqqani - the minister for refugees and a prominent figure within the militant Haqqani network, had exchanged strong words, as their followers brawled with each other nearby. Many Afghans will feel they have good reason to doubt the Taliban's word. In 2015, the group admitted covering up their founding leader Mullah Omar's death for more than two years, during which time they continued to issue statements in his name.
