Shortly after the Taliban militants group released an audio recording purportedly from the group’s supreme leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, some senior Taliban leaders have said the audio has been faked and that he is no more alive.
According to the Taliban leaders, the audio recording containing a voice similar to Mullah Mansoor, has been released in a bid to buy more time to elect a new leader for the group.
A senior Taliban source told AFP on Sunday “I think it’s a faked audio. I believe he’s dead.”
Insisting on the need to provide more proof, the source further added that the group is buying time to select a new leader and bring their organisation out of “this sudden shock”.
Another senior Taliban source said “I am not satisfied after hearing the clip that it belongs to Mansour,” while a third said Mansour succumbed to his injuries on Thursday.
The audio message by Mullah Mansoor was released late on Saturday night and five days after reports circulated regarding his death.
A man purporting to Mullah Mansoor dismissed the reports as propaganda and an attempt to further to spread the propaganda regarding growing difference among the Taliban ranks which led to infighting.
He said “I want to assure that there had been no incident of gunfight. The audio message is aimed at giving you assurance that I am safe.”
Mullah Mansoor has been struggling with the Taliban leadership since assuming charge of the group following a controversial decision by the group’s council in July this year.
Despite his appointment was called an unanimous decision by the group’s Quetta Council, Mullah Omar’s brother, Mullah Manan along with various other Taliban leaders had opposed with his election as the replacement supreme leader of Taliban.
Mullah Manan wanted Maulavi Yaqoob to succeed his father as the supreme leader of Taliban insisting that Mullah Mansoor was not elected by majority of Taliban’s central Shura ‘council’.
