KABUL Akhtar Mansoor has reportedly been wounded during a shootout between militants at a meeting in Quetta, but the outlawed movement reject the claimas baseless.
A credible source close to the Taliban confided to Pajhwok Afghan News on Thursday Mansoor was under medical treatment at the Jailani Hospital in Quetta. The extent of his injuries is yet to be known.
The firefight took place in Kachlak area of the city two days ago, the source said, adding that based on his information Mansoor had succumbed to his wounds on the way to hospital.
Some Taliban said Mansoor had been admitted to the Rahman Hospital in Balochistan’s capital, while other members of the group claimed their leader was under treatment at the Combined Military Hospital.
Separately, the first-vice president’s spokesman, Sultan Faizi, told a foreign media outlet Mansoor had been wounded seriously during the clash and had possibly succumbed to his injuries.
He added senior Taliban official Mullah Abdullah Sarhadi, a former governor, and five others were also killed in the gunfire exchange during the meeting at his house. The two sides traded harsh words before firefight, Faizi added.
However, the Taliban denied the report as groundless and fabricated. No such incidenthad happened in Kachlak area and Mansoor was not living in Quetta, the movement said in a statement on its website.
Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah’s office confirmed receiving reports that Mansour had been injured during an armed clash near Quetta through the deputy spokesman,Javed Faisal.
Born in the 1960sin Kandahar province, Mansoor was appointed as Taliban’s new leader about five months ago after the death of Mullah Mohammad Omar. But Mansour’s authority is disputed by rival factions.
A dozen participants of the meeting, including Mansour, suffered serious bullet injuries in the shooting. One insurgent commander said the Taliban supremo was hit by four Kalashnikov bullets.
Mullah Mansoor Dadullah, a senior commander of a breakaway Taliban faction, was reportedly killed during a clash last month.
mds/mud
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