Taliban leader wounded in gunfight: Afghan official

KABUL, Afghanistan

Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour has been "critically" wounded in a gunfight with a former commander of the militant group, an Afghan official alleged on Wednesday.

Sultan Fayzi, a spokesman for Afghan Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum, told Anadolu Agency that, on Tuesday evening, Mullah Abdullah Sarhadi, a former Taliban commander, had invited Mansour to his home in the Pakistani city of Quetta.

According to Fayzi, a quarrel broke out between the two men, which, the spokesman claimed, quickly escalated into an armed confrontation.

Sarhadi and at least six Taliban militants were killed in the firefight, while Mansour was taken to hospital after being "critically" injured, Fayzi said.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujaheed, however, has dismissed Fayzi's assertions as baseless.

Mansour assumed leadership of the Taliban on July 31 -- despite the objections of some group members -- following the announcement of the death of group founder Mullah Mohamed Omar.

KABUL, Afghanistan

Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour has been "critically" wounded in a gunfight with a former commander of the militant group, an Afghan official alleged on Wednesday.

According to Fayzi, a quarrel broke out between the two men, which, the spokesman claimed, quickly escalated into an armed confrontation.

Sarhadi and at least six Taliban militants were killed in the firefight, while Mansour was taken to hospital after being "critically" injured, Fayzi said.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujaheed, however, has dismissed Fayzi's assertions as baseless.

Mansour assumed leadership of the Taliban on July 31 -- despite the objections of some group members -- following the announcement of the death of group founder Mullah Mohamed Omar.