Arrest of No 2 may signal Taliban feud, says McChrystal
SPIN BOLDAK: The arrest of the Afghan Taliban’s former number two figure may have been the result of an internal feud and purge among Taliban leaders, US and NATO commander General Stanley McChrystal said on Thursday.
The arrest in Pakistan of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in a US-Pakistani operation confirmed last month, was described as a major intelligence coup and a possible sign Islamabad is becoming more willing to help fight Afghan Taliban. A theory in some intelligence circles, however, is that Baradar was captured only after he had already effectively been expelled from the Taliban after an internal tribal feud, leaving behind a more radical rump Taliban leadership.
McChrystal said it was not entirely clear why Pakistan arrested Baradar now, but that an internal Taliban feud was one plausible explanation. “I think that’s very possible,” McChrystal said in an interview with Reuters and the New York Times, when asked about reports that an internal Taliban purge had led to the arrest. “I did hear that. I can’t confirm it but I find it possible.” reuters
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