Mullah Abdul Manan Niazi, deputy leader for a Taliban splinter group loyal to Mullah Rasool, was severely wounded in an armed attack that targeted him and his men in an area between Guzara and Adraskan districts of the western Herat province, according to a source.
The source who spoke on condition of anonymity told Kabul Now that three men loyal to Niazi were killed and two others were wounded in the attack. The source said that a bullet has hit Niazi’s head and he is very likely to lose one of his eyes. Niazi is currently under medical treatment and in a critical condition in Herat’s central hospital, the source claimed.
Herat’s local and security officials have yet to comment regarding the incident.
No one has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Taliban splinter group deputized by Niazi has a record of bloody clashes with the group’s main body led by Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada.
Niazi’s stronghold is located in mountainous terrain in the same area where he has been attacked.
