Taliban No. 2 Baradar Shows Strength with Voice Message... Denies Death Rumors

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, known as the second-in-command of the Afghan armed group Taliban, has demonstrated his continued presence by releasing a direct voice message. This came after rumors of his death circulated following reports that he was seriously injured in a shooting during a power struggle within the Taliban.

According to Afghan local media Tolo News and other foreign outlets on the 14th, Baradar released a voice message the previous day denying the rumors of his death, stating, "I have been away from Kabul for the past few days," and emphasized, "I am doing well, and the death rumors are purely fake propaganda." He added, "Bravely reject all lies. I can confirm that there are currently no issues or problems." However, foreign media noted that the authenticity of the audio voice message could not be verified.

Earlier, on the 3rd, it was reported that Baradar was seriously injured in a gunfight in Kabul with members of the Haqqani Network, a faction different from his own within the Taliban, and was evacuated to Pakistan, sparking rumors of his death. The Taliban also posted the message on their social media accounts, and Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen mentioned the matter on his Twitter.

Previously, the Taliban emphasized Baradar's survival by revealing through their spokesperson that Baradar had met with Faiz Hameed, Director of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and Martin Griffiths, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.