Taliban deny new Faryab group’s emergence

MAIMANA (Pajhwok): Taliban Mohammad Omar.

On Monday, local officials said a splinter Taliban group had recently surfaced in the Qaisar district of northern Faryab province. The 20-member group holds sway in Raza Khan, Chichakto and Khwaja Aspahlan areas of Qaisar.

Reports say the group is linked to Mansoor Dadullah, a Taliban leader killed in 2007, and the Waziristan-based Haqqani network, with objectives to target those involved in killing of innocent people.

But Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said no group was pushing an armed battle against them in Faryab.  He said four of the 18 criminals and robbers, who looted civilians, had been killed by fighters. Seven of them had sought refuge with government and as many managed to flee, he added.

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