Taliban under pressure as deadly clashes with Pakistan can expose internal rifts – analysts
ISLAMABAD: The deadly clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which have killed dozens on both sides, could place the Taliban administration in Kabul under growing internal pressure if cross-border hostilities with Pakistan continue, analysts said on Wednesday.
Pakistan and Afghanistan announced a temporary ceasefire earlier in the day after some of the heaviest fighting along their frontier in recent years. Prior to that, Pakistan’s military said it had repelled coordinated attacks by Afghan Taliban fighters at multiple points along the border in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, accusing Kabul’s forces of destroying a key trade gate and endangering civilians.
Speaking to Arab News, Maj. Gen. (r) Inam-ul-Haq said the Taliban regime was divided between two dominant factions — the Kandaharis, who control the movement’s leadership and religious base, and the Haqqanis, who wield influence in Kabul and parts of eastern Afghanistan.
“There are already fissures between the Kandahar and Haqqani factions, and those will widen if such clashes continue,” he said. “They [the Taliban] understand this, which is why they will want to wrap it up quickly.”
