Tens of Kandahari Taliban forces left their jobs at the group’s 215 Military Corps in Helmand with 200 military vehicles and returned to their home province of Kandahar following a conflict with the local Taliban fighters. This comes as the ruling group had lethal infightings in recent months in some provinces.
The Taliban fighters left their duties at the 215 Military Corps after several Kandahari Taliban were arrested and imprisoned for unknown reasons by the group’s commission assigned for ranks clearance, a source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Kabul Now on Thursday, December 15.
Kandahari Taliban have forcefully released some members of the group from the Military Corps prison and left Helmand for Kandahar with around 200 military vehicles, the source added.
A video shared on social media also suggests that tens of Taliban fighters are heading with a convoy of military vehicles to Kandahar.
The person who is recording the video says that local Taliban in Helmand do not respect Kandahari Taliban so they have quit duties in the “Shurab” Military Corps – referring to the 215 Military Corps based in Helmand.
Local Taliban officials in Helmand have not commented in this regard.
This comes as several deadly infightings have recently happened between the group members in different provinces.
In the latest case, the group’s infighting in Qalat, the capital city of the southern Zabul province, left two civilians wounded.
A source who asked not to be named confirmed to Kabul Now that the infighting erupted between the Taliban fighters on Thursday, December 15, around 12:00 PM. The motives behind the infighting and the subsequent casualties have not been revealed, the source added.
A local Taliban commander was killed after fighting erupted between him and another Taliban commander in Siagard district of the northern Parwan province in October.