The new masters of Afghanistan are fighting. The object of the discord is who should bear the victory, the division of power and what course the policy of the country ruled by the Taliban should take. According to statements by a source to BBC Pashto, the movement’s co-founder, Abdul Ghani Baradar – a key figure in the negotiations with the US that led to the Doha agreement last year, indicated by the Taliban as the number two of their “government” – and Khalil ur-Rahman Haqqani – chosen as refugee minister and a leading figure in the Haqqani network – allegedly had a heated quarrel, surrounded by supporters of both, in the presidential palace in Kabul. An exponent of the Taliban in Qatar and another source close to the people involved confirmed the “quarrel” that dates back to the end of last week.
Baradar ricoverato a Kandahar
The Taliban denied the rumors, but the news began to circulate after those of the absence of Baradar, who is now hospitalized in Kandahar after being injured in a clash with members of the Haqqani network last week. The Pashtun Times writes on Twitter citing “a member of the family of the Taliban leader.” Baradar is said to be “under the protection of Pakistan and family members are not yet allowed to see him,” adds the tweet. After the violent quarrel with the Haqqani at the presidential palace, the mullah deputy premier allegedly left Kabul to return to Kandahar where he no longer appeared in public.
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According to the BBC sources, it all started due to the disappointment on the new power structure manifested by Baradar, who would insist on the role of diplomacy in the victory (while the Haqqani group would be to attribute all the credit to the fighters). In an audio broadcast on various official Taliban websites on Monday and which has been attributed to Baradar, although there is no confirmation of authenticity, the rumor claims to be “on the road”.
Mystery about Supreme Commander Akhundzada
Meanwhile, the mystery also remains about the supreme commander, Hibatullah Akhundzada. The latter, the Guardian pointed out yesterday, writing that many wonder if the two “big names” of the movement are still alive, has never appeared in public since, on August 15, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. The death of Mullah Omar, founder of the movement, was hidden for two years.
On the resistance front, on the other hand, Ahmad Massoud, reports a source to Ansa, “is still in the Panshir Valley”. The forces of the head of the armed resistance, whose number remains unknown, would have received equipment, “they are consolidating their positions and are ready for battle”