Fate of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour unclear

PESHAWAR: Conflicting reports have deepened uncertainty surrounding the fate of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour, after the militant group repeatedly denied he had been wounded in a gunfight after a dispute with other senior leaders.

Several sources in the Taliban have said that Mansour, whose claim to the leadership is rejected by a rival faction, was seriously wounded and possibly killed in a shootout at the house of another Taliban leader on Tuesday.

Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah said on Twitter Mansour was wounded in a firefight, while Sultan Faizy, spokesman for Afghan first Vice President General Abdul Rashid Dostum, tweeted that the Taliban supremo has died of his injuries.

The Afghan Taliban's main spokesman has dismissed the reports as propaganda from Afghan intelligence services meant to create divisions within the movement, saying Mansour is alive and well.

However, scepticism has been fuelled by the secrecy that surrounded the death of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, which was only confirmed in July, two years after he had died.

There has been no statement from Mansour himself so far and Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said enhanced security measures meant it was taking some time to contact him directly.

"Well, we are trying to locate him through our people to get his voice and release to the media to kill these rumours spread by the Afghan puppet government," Mujahid said.

The uncertainty has clouded prospects for any resumption in a peace process facilitated by Pakistan after talks broke down in July following the confirmation of Omar's death.