Reports: Mansour Dadullah killed in Zabul

Reports suggest that Mansour Dadullah, deputy of Mullah Muhammad Rasoul, Taliban’s splinter leader has been killed by Mullah Muhammad Akhtar Mansour’s group members in Khak-e Afghan district of Zabul province.

Local officials in Zabul confirmed his death, but Gul Islam Siyal, spokesman of Zabul governor says that Mansour Dadullah was killed in Ghal-e Orghan area of Paktiya province.

However, sources close to Taliban confirm that Mansour Dadullah has been killed in Khak-e Afghan district.

In early September, Afghan media sources had announced that Dadullah was said to have joined the Afghanistan branch of the Islamic State group, following disputes over the appointment of Akhtar Mansour as leader of the Taliban.

The announcement came from an Islamic State supporter in Afghanistan who further stated that 230 IS fighters were deployed to Zabul province from Farah province to aid Dadullah’s forces against 2,100 Taliban militants sent by Mansour.

Mullah Mansour Dadullah a senior Taliban commander and brother of notorious Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah Akhund arrived in Zabul province over a month ago and announced division with Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour.

Born in 1972, Mullah Mansour Dadullah is Mullah Dadullah’s younger half-brother who succeeded him as a senior military commander of the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.

He comes from the Arghandab district of Kandahar province, and belongs to the Kakar Pashtun tribe.

Fierce clashes were ongoing between two rival Taliban groups in southern Afghanistan. Skirmishes have been taking place in southern Zabul province between fighters loyal to the widely-recognised Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour and followers of Mansoor Dadullah, a deputy of splinter-group leader Mohamed Rasool who announced his own faction earlier this month.