Reports coming out of Afghanistan tonight claim that Taliban leader Mullah Mansour has been seriously injured, or potentially killed, after a serious argument among commanders in Pakistan escalated into a major gunfight.
The fight reportedly took place in Quetta, the capital of Pakistani Baluchistan, with Afghan government officials saying five other commanders were killed in the fighting, and Mansour was rushed to a hospital, his fate unknown.
Mansour’s election as successor to Mullah Omar, the Taliban’s founder, was a hugely controversial one that split the leadership, which lends some credence to the idea that the split escalated into an open gunfight just months later.
The Taliban, however, is denying the claim, saying it is Afghan government propaganda, and that not only was Mullah Mansour not harmed, but that no gunfight at all took place. Pakistan similarly said they couldn’t confirm any fighting in Quetta, which seems like it would’ve been glaring if it was a big as claimed.