A year-long investigation by the BBC Afghan Service has found that two groups are competing for power within the Taliban leadership. One is aligned to the supreme leader and his hardline policies. The other is said to favour more international engagement and giving women wider access to education.
In a leaked clip, the Taliban’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada can be heard giving a speech saying that internal disagreements could eventually bring them all down. Zabiullah Mujahid, a senior Taliban government spokesman, has categorically denied any split.
Zia Shahreyar, a forensic reporter for the BBC Afghan Service, has been following the story.
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