Taliban co-founder and Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan's Taliban government Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar has released an audio statement confirming he is alive after reports of his death went viral on Monday. His message was tweeted by Taliban spokesperson Mohammad Naeem.
Earlier there were reports of Mullah Baradar being injured in a shootout between rival Taliban factions with subsequent rumours of his death.
"There had been news in the media about my death," Mulla Baradar said in the clip. "Media always publish fake propaganda. Therefore, reject bravely all those lies, and I 100% confirm to you there is no issue and we have no problem," Baradar added. However, the authenticity of the audio tape could not be ascertained.
Media reports had suggested factionalism within the Taliban after the appointment of Mullah Hasan Akhund as its interim Prime Minister and Mulla Baradar as his deputy.
It was believed that the recent conciliatory tone from Mulla Baradar on issues such as women's rights, working with the international community and amnesty for members of the former Western-backed government was not in sync with many other Taliban leaders and also with the ideology of the Haqqani network, which is Taliban's de facto diplomatic arm
Taliban spokesperson from Qatar office Suhail Shaheen also took to Twitter and denied the reports of Mullah Baradar's death.
