Tensions in Taliban ranks as head of militant group's Qatar office resigns

August 04, 2015 22:29

The fractures in the ranks of the Taliban appear to be deepening after the announcement of the death of the Afghan militant group's longtime leader.

Syed Mohammad Tayab Agha, the head of the Taliban's office in Qatar and a very close ally of the late leader, said Monday that he had resigned, citing internal factional struggles to seize control of the leadership.

"In the current controversial situation, I am not supporting any side," Tayab Agha said in a statement. The Taliban's office in Qatar has been viewed as a potentially important element in any future peace talks with the Afghan government.

News emerged last week that Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban chief who offered safe haven to former al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, had died in April 2013 in Pakistan.

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