Taliban in quandry after sacking of senior commander

The sacking of Mansoor Dadullah, the seniormost ground commander fighting the British forces in southern Afghanistan, by Mullah Omar, the spiritual leader of the Islamist militant organisation, has already created divisions in the Taliban, The Daily Telegraph reported on Monday.

"These divisions are close to producing a tribal revolt in the north of Helmand ahead of an operation (by the British forces) to retake the key town of Musa Qala," MI6 officials were quoted as saying by the British daily.

Though Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, has said Dadullah was sacked for disobeying orders and conducting activities against the Taliban's rules and regulations, the former commander claimed he was the victim of a conspiracy by his enemies.

"It's not true that Mullah Omar kicked me out of the Taliban. If he wanted me to leave the Taliban, then he would send me the message and I would put down my weapons because he is our top commander.

"If Mullah Omar wants me to disarm, there is no need to publish this in the media. In jihad, there is no personal interest. In jihad, you will be injured or killed only for the sake of Islam," he said.