Absence of two Taliban leaders sparks rumours

Two senior Taliban leaders went missing from public view, leading some Afghans this week to question whether the group’s supreme leader and new deputy prime minister were alive. A spokesperson went on the record to deny rumours of Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada’s death.

There have been rumours that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar had been killed or badly injured in a fight with another senior Taliban figure in an argument about how to divide Afghanistan’s ministries.

The Taliban released photos of a handwritten note from one of Baradar’s deputies saying he was in Kandahar, then shared an audio message. The absence of a video, however, raised more questions with Afghans.