Commander of Mulla Rasool faction joins Haibatullah

PESHAWAR: The Afghan Taliban claimed that a top military commander of the rival Mulla Muhammad Rasool faction had quit his faction and pledged allegiance to the mainstream faction led by Mulla Haibatullah Akhundzada.

Taliban sources and the website said Mulla Baz Muhammad, Taliban military commander in Farah province, announced allegiance to Mulla Haibatullah after a jirga of Taliban clerics, tribal elders and notables met him and his fellows and invited him to rejoin the Taliban movement by recognising Mulla Haibatullah as the new leader in place of the previous head Mulla Akhtar Mansour who was killed in a US drone strike in Balochistan in July. 

Mulla Baz Muhammad sided with Mulla Muhammad Rasool, presently in custody of Pakistan government, against Mulla Akhtar Mansour when the latter was chosen as the new Taliban ameer after the death of the movement’s founder Mulla Muhammad Omar. 

The Taliban website also reported that another military commander Mulla Akhtar Mohammad hailing from Chora area in Urozgan province had also pledged allegiance to Mulla Haibatullah.