Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban's temporary prime minister, went to the radio on Wednesday to reassure his countrymen that he is still alive and well.
Baradar Had Been Absent from Public View in Nearly a Week
In a recently published article in MSN News, following rumors of severe disputes between Taliban factions over the makeup of the new government announced on Sept. 7, Baradar, the most prominent member of the leadership in recent years, had been gone from public view for almost a week.
Baradar's absence was most apparent when he did not attend during Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed Al Thani's visit to Kabul on Sunday, despite the fact that he had already met with him. In addition to hosting the US-Taliban talks and failed follow-up talks between the militants and former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's government, Qatar has played a key role in the reopening of Kabul's international airport, allowing more Americans and others to leave the country following the withdrawal of U.S. troops.
Meanwhile, Baradar's departure from the capital came after an altercation in which he expressed his displeasure with Muttaqi and the Haqqanis' cabinet choices, according to sources acquainted with the matter in a recently published article in The Washington Post.
Baradar Sends Audio Message To Prove He is Alive and Well
In an interview with Afghan national television, Baradar said that he is well. Top Taliban leaders also said that the organization had excellent and friendly ties with one another, similar to those of a family. He also accused the media of spreading false information.
The footage of Baradar was taken in Kandahar, Afghanistan's second-biggest city, where senior Taliban commander Haibatullah Akhundzada is said to be based, despite the fact that he has not been seen in public since the takeover a month ago, according to a report published in Reuters.
The video occurred after a spooky audio recording purportedly belonging to Baradar was tweeted by the Taliban on Monday, denying reports of his own injuries or death. According to a handwritten letter from one of Baradar's senior aides, he was in Kandahar. However, the inability to produce real-time footage confirming it was Baradar on the tape only helped to fuel speculation about his death.
Officials in the Interim Government are All Men and Included in FBI's Most Wanted Persons
The cabinet itself, which was made up entirely of men chosen from different Taliban power centers, "clearly was an attempt to preserve internal cohesion," according to a senior official from the area, one of many who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the sensitive matter. Whether they are members of the Pakistan-based "shura" leadership or a top commander, "some of them are meeting each other" for the first time or after 20 years, according to the official.
In a published article in One News Page, the State Department puts a $10 million bounty on Sirajuddin Haqqani's head as a "specially designated terrorist," while the FBI has a $5 million reward for assaults during the conflict that was especially brutal or killed Americans. His uncle, Khalil Haqqani, who is currently the interim Taliban minister for refugees, has also received a $5 million offer from the State Department. Muttaqi was the cruel Taliban government's minister of culture and education in the late 1990s.
