Taliban's Baradar appears in video, refutes reports of him getting hurt

Afghan acting deputy prime minister Abdul Ghani Baradar appeared in a video to deny reports that he was hurt in a clash with a rival faction of Taliban. The video was posted on Wednesday (September 15)

"No this is not true; I am OK and healthy," Baradar said in an interview with state TV which was posted on Twitter by the Taliban's political office in Doha.

"The media says that there is internal disputes. There is nothing between us, it is not true."

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In the clip, he was seen seated on a sofa next to an interviewer with an RTA state television microphone, apparently reading from a sheet of paper.

"There is nothing to worry about," he said.

An official from the Taliban's cultural commission had said on Twitter earlier that the interview would be shown on RTA TV to disprove "enemy propaganda". Taliban has been repeatedly denying in recent days that Baradar had been hurt.

There were rumours for days that supporters of Baradar had clashed with members of Haqqani network. It was being speculated whether Baradar was hurt or killed

In the clip, Baradar said he had been on a trip when the visit took place and had not been able to get back in time.

Baradar, one of the founding members of the Taliban and once seen as the likely head of a Taliban government, had not been seen in public for some time. He was not part of the ministerial delegation which met Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in Kabul on Sunday.

On Wednesday, Anas Haqqani, younger brother of the Taliban's newly appointed Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, also issued a statement on Twitter denying reports of internal rifts in the movement.

The rumours follow speculation over rivalries between military commanders like Haqqani and leaders from the political office in Doha like Baradar, who led diplomatic efforts to reach a settlement with the United States.

(With inputs from agencies)