Baradar Taken Hostage By The Haqqanis; Akhundzada dead: Report By The Spectator

Amid the power struggle within the Taliban, Mullah Baradar had been taken hostage by the Haqqani Network and emerged as the 'primary loser', the British magazine The Spectator said in its report.

The report by David Loyn speculated that the message released by Afghanistan's Deputy Prime Minister, Mullah Baradar after his death rumours "looked like a hostage video" and that the supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada was dead.

 A Violent Power Struggle

The report talks of the ongoing power struggle between the Baradar faction and the Haqqani Network (HN). It says a meeting at the office of the Afghan President, the Arg, took place between the two factions earlier this month. The government formation plan was on the agenda of the meeting.

Baradar wanted to form an inclusive government with the representation of non-Taliban is and ethnic minorities in the country. But the HN resisted. This led to a feud and Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani of the HN reportedly punched Baradar.

This was the time when the news of the violent clash was reported in the media, claiming there was gunfire also. Although, The Spectator said, "This has not been verified."

"Taken Hostage"

After the fight, the report adds, Baradar went to Kandahar to hold a meeting with the tribal elders who support him, but at the same time was forced to read a statement on the state-run TV network, which has been taken over by the Taliban. The observers said it looked like a "hostage video."

Soon after the takeover of Kabul by the Taliban on 15 August, multiple reports claimed that everything was not going smooth in the militant Islamic group.

Mullah Baradar wanted to form an inclusive government in the country to establish the group as a moderate nationalist movement. This would have helped the Taliban to seek global acceptance for its administration.

On the other hand, the HN has continued to praise its "suicide bombing" ways. It is thought that the foreign forces have left the country due to their aggressive and violent stance.

 It has also emerged as the dominant faction in the acting government formed by the Taliban. The government includes many ministers having names in the United Nation's (UN) sanctions list. Mullah Baradar, who was expected to lead the government, has been reduced to the post of Deputy PM.

Akhundzada Dead

The report also speculated that the supreme leader of Afghanistan, Hibatullah Akhundzada, was dead as his whereabouts were unknown for a long time. "He has not been seen or heard from for some time, and there are many rumours that he is dead", the report said.

The movement’s supreme leader has not been seen in public ever since the Taliban seized Kabul on August 15. However, a public statement was issued on his behalf when the new government was formed by the Taliban.

It is important to note here that this is not the first time that claims of Akhundzada's death have emerged. There have been many instances in the past also, the latest being in February this year, when a section of Afghan media said that he had been killed in April 2020 in a blast in Pakistan's Balochistan province.