RASC News Agency: As reports of internal discord within the Taliban leadership continue to surface, senior officials have dismissed them as enemy-driven media propaganda, insisting that no power struggle exists within their ranks. On Thursday, February 20, Mawlawi Yaqoob Mujahid, the Taliban’s Defense Minister, declared that no factional dispute threatens the group’s unity. However, mounting evidence and multiple reports suggest escalating tensions at the highest levels of Taliban leadership. Sources confirm that a serious rift has developed between Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, and his rivals, most notably Sirajuddin Haqqani and a coalition of his allies in Kabul. Despite efforts by the Taliban to conceal these fractures, growing indications point to an impending political explosion.
Just yesterday, Taliban spokespersons reaffirmed that the group maintains full control over governance and that no ideological or strategic disputes exist among its leaders. Yet, increasingly frequent reports expose deepening divisions within the organization, suggesting that internal tensions are approaching a boiling point. For over a month, Sirajuddin Haqqani has remained outside Afghanistan, reportedly due to deep dissatisfaction with Akhundzada’s rule. Sources close to the matter suggest that Haqqani has no immediate plans to return. Meanwhile, Abbas Stanekzai, a senior Taliban official, has fled the country, allegedly fearing imminent arrest, while the Taliban’s Minister of Justice recently announced his resignation from Dubai further underscoring growing instability within the regime.
Even Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesperson, previously made a subtle yet telling acknowledgment of internal discord within the leadership. The intensifying power struggle within the Taliban has led to speculation about a potential collapse of the regime. Ahmad Massoud, leader of the National Resistance Front, recently stated at a Vienna conference that the Taliban are heading toward an inevitable internal conflict. He warned that rival factions within the group could soon turn on one another, emphasizing that the Taliban will not disband without an armed struggle.
