Key Sentence:
- In the video, Afghanistan’s current deputy prime minister, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.
- Denies reports that he was injured in clashes with rival Taliban factions.
- One of the founders of the Taliban was not seen for several days.
There have been reports of conflict between Taliban Lawmakers, including Baradar, and rival factions loyal to the robust Haqqani network. But in a new interview, Baradar dismissed reports of internal unrest. “No, that’s not true. I’m fine and healthy,” Baradar said when asked if he was injured.
“I am outside Kabul and do not have access to the internet to deny fake news,” he added.
A short video published by the Politburo of the Taliban Lawmakers in Doha on Twitter shows him sitting on the sofa next to an interviewer from state television, apparently reading from a piece of paper. “Thank God our relationship is good with each other, and we respect each other. Our relationship is even better than family,” he said.
Baradar was the first Taliban leader to communicate directly with a US President in a telephone conversation with Donald Trump in 2020. He had previously signed the Doha agreement on the withdrawal of US troops on behalf of the Taliban.
The dispute also reportedly stems from disagreements over which of the Taliban should concede their victory in Afghanistan. Baradar reportedly said the focus should be on the diplomacy of people like him, while members of the Haqqani group – led by one of the Taliban’s top figures – and their supporters say it is achieved through fighting.
Its leader, Sirajuddin Hakani, is the new government’s interior minister.
Rumors of an exit had circulated since last weekend when Mr. Baradar, one of the Taliban’s most prominent figures, disappeared from public opinion. Taliban sources told the that Baradar left Kabul and went to the city of Kandahar after the clashes. Before the new interview, an official from the Taliban’s Cultural Commission said on Twitter. That the interview would be broadcast on state television, RTA, to refute “hostile propaganda.”
The Taliban took control of Afghanistan last month and declared the country an “Islamic emirate.” Your new transitional cabinet is made up of all men and is made up of senior Taliban, some of whom are known for their attacks on US forces over the past two decades.