Taliban chief Mullah Mansoor wounded in shootout

Kabul, Dec 2: The Afghan Taliban's supreme leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor was wounded in a shootout that followed an argument in the neighbouring Pakistan, an Afghan official said on Wednesday.

"The Taliban leader sustained injuries after a shootout which was caused by an argument between Taliban leaders during a meeting on Tuesday night," Sultan Faizi, a spokesperson of Afghanistan's second vice president, told Xinhua.

Faizi said the incident took place in Kechlaqh, a locality on the outskirts of Quetta city of Pakistan.

While there were no details about Mansoor's condition, unofficial sources said the Taliban leader was seriously injured.

No Taliban spokesperson was immediately available for comments.

The incident came as the Taliban militant group has been divided into two factions after Mullah Mansoor succeeded former Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar as the hardliner group's new leader after Omar was confirmed dead in late July this year.

IANS