KABUL: Senior Taliban officials on Thursday denied rumours about internal splits between the leadership of the group’s various factions since the formation of an interim government last week.
Anas Haqqani, younger brother of the new interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, asserted that there were “no fights with Mullah Baradar over who will take the reigns of power”, maintaining that “the Islamic Emirate is a united front”.
The Islamic Emirate is a united front which highly respects single line of Islamic values (Islamism) & Afghani values (Afghanism). We are all United in bringing peace, prosperity and stability to our beloved #Afghanistan. https://t.co/YJ2KpTg4v6
— Anas Haqqani(انس حقاني) (@AnasHaqqani313) September 15, 2021
“As you all know the facts, in the last twenty years of our pious struggle, the enemies of Jihad have tried to spread false propaganda against the movement,” said Anas Haqqani in a video statement issued on Twitter.
Haqqani added that the propaganda against their movement has increased since they came to power. “The new propaganda is that the Haqqani Network and respected Mullah Ghani have differences over positions or slots in the government. The people who know us, know that we are not the people who fight over positions in the government,” he added
“We fought for God, for the Islamic Emirate, the establishment of Islamic government and not for positions in the government,” Anas added.
Mullah Baradar, who is Afghanistan’s acting deputy prime minister, has also rubbished the media reports of internal fissures within the Taliban ranks. “We have a lot of kindness and trust within our ranks that does not even exist in a family. For decades, we have fought for our faith and to end [foreign] occupation not for positions and power,” he added.
Over his absence during the recent Qatar’s delegation visit to the war-torn country, Baradar said he was on a trip to remote area of Afghanistan when the visit took place and he was not aware of the visit. “I would have cancelled the trip to meet the Qatari delegation, if I knew about it,” he added.
Last week, rumours emerged of an alleged violent confrontation between pragmatists and ideologues in the Taliban leadership at the presidential palace, including claims that Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan Abdul Ghani Baradar was killed.
