아프가니스탄 정부와 14년째 내전 중인 탈레반 최고 지도자 물라 아크타르 무하마드 만수르가 회의 도중 총격을 받아 부상했다고 아프간 정부가 밝혔다.
하지만, 탈레반이 아프간 정부 측의 발표를 곧바로 반박하고 나서면서 진실공방이 벌어지고 있다.
3일 AP, AFP 통신 등에 따르면 압둘 라시드 도스툼 아프간 부통령의 술탄 파이지 대변인은 만수르가 지난 1일 파키스탄 중서부 퀘타 부근에서 탈레반 지휘부 회의를 주재하던 중 말다툼 끝에 총격전이 벌어져 크게 다쳤다고 밝혔다.
파이지 대변인은 "만수르가 중상을 입고 병원으로 옮겨졌다"며 "그가 부상에서 살아 남았는지 확신할 수 없다"고 말했다.
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(Yonhap) |
<관련 영문 기사>
Taliban dismiss Kabul claim that leader wounded in Pakistan
A Kabul official said Wednesday that the new Afghan Taliban leader, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, has been wounded in a firefight that broke out at a gathering of several Taliban figures in neighboring Pakistan the previous night.
The Taliban promptly denied the claim, dismissing it as propaganda by the Afghan government.
Sultan Faizy, spokesman for Afghan First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum, said the shooting erupted on Tuesday night when Mansoor visited Mullah Abdullah Sarhadi in his house in the city of Quetta.
Faizy says there was an argument, followed by shooting that wounded Mansoor and killed six Taliban figures, including Sarhadi. Faizy also says there are reports Mansoor was taken to a hospital but that his condition is unknown.
Faizy did not provide details or offer evidence to substantiate his statement.
Pakistani officials said they are not aware of any such shooting incident.
Mullah Ghafar, a Taliban commander who goes by one name, told The Associated Press that “nothing like this happened” and that the claim was clearly “propaganda” on Kabul’s part.
Mansoor took control of the Afghan Taliban in August, after the announcement of the death of the group’s founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar. Mansoor’s leadership was challenged among some followers, and a breakaway Taliban faction emerged, followed by clashes between the two groups.
Mansoor has claimed widespread backing among Taliban leaders based in Pakistan and on the battlefield, and took credit for the Taliban’s brief capture of the northern city of Kunduz in September. (AP)
