An Afghan Taliban rebel leader from the Shiite Hazara minority was killed as he tried to flee to Iran, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday (August 17th), denying reports that he was killed in custody.
Mehdi Mujahid had broken with the Taliban movement when it dismissed him at the beginning of the year from the post of intelligence chief in the province of Bamiyan (Centre), mostly populated by Hazaras.
He was appointed in August 2021 when the Islamists took power in Kabul.
'Punished for his actions'
The appointment of the 30-year-old leader was seen as an attempt by the Taliban – mainly Pashtuns – to materialize their stated intention to be more inclusive.
According to local media, the sidelining of the Hazara leader was linked to the control of the lucrative coal trade in the district of Balkhab, bordering the province of Bamiyan and where he was from.
It was in this district that he had withdrawn with several fighters who remained loyal, and against whom the Taliban launched an offensive at the end of June.
The conflict had caused many inhabitants of the region to flee into the surrounding mountains, in difficult conditions.
The Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday that border forces had identified Mehdi Mujahid in the province of Herat (northwest), near Iran "
where he wanted to flee
", and had "
punished him for his actions
".
He was alone and "
wanted to enter Iran illegally
", provincial information officer Naeemul Haq Haqqani told AFP, adding that he had been "
killed after a clash
".
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However, photos circulated on social networks showing Mehdi Mujahid, visibly alive, detained and surrounded by two Taliban, suggesting that the rebel leader was killed next, but Naeemul Haq Haqqani rejected this information.
"
The rumors that this person was captured alive are lies
," he said.
Hazaras in Afghanistan have been persecuted for decades, particularly by the Taliban when they first came to power (1996-2001).
They also continue to be the target of attacks by the jihadist group Islamic State, which calls them heretics.