Taliban deny deputy leader Mullah Abdul Baradar is dead, produce audio recording as ‘proof after gunfight in presidential palace’

The Taliban has been compelled to disclaim reviews that deputy chief Mullah Baradar is lifeless after rumours emerged that he was killed throughout a gunfight along with his political rivals in presidential palace. The Taliban insisted in the present day that Baradar is in Kandahar province assembly with the group’s supreme chief Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada to debate Afghanistan’s future.

Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem released the audio recording on Monday September 13.

In it, a person claiming to be Baradar accuses ‘media propagandists’ of spreading false rumours about him – insisting ‘I and all my colleagues are OK’.

‘There had been information within the media about my demise,’ Baradar stated within the clip.

‘Over the previous few nights I’ve been away on journeys. Wherever I’m for the time being, we’re all high quality, all my brothers and mates.

‘Media all the time publish faux propaganda. Due to this fact, reject bravely all these lies, and I 100% verify to you there is no such thing as a problem and now we have no downside.’The recording was posted to Twitter hours after a handwritten be aware was additionally circulated, insisted that Baradar is alive.

‘Reviews about Mullah Baradar Akhund being injured or killed are baseless and should not true, I categorically refute them,’ he stated.  Rumours about Baradar’s security started circulating final week when the Taliban introduced its new authorities and named him as deputy prime minister, regardless of preliminary reviews that he would take the highest job. That led to hypothesis that he had been demoted as a result of a conflict between Taliban founding members and the Haqqani Community, a robust faction of the Taliban whose members of the family secured prime positions within the new administration.