Rogue Taliban commander killed by Islamic Emirate forces

Prior to his killing, Mahdi had reportedly hoped to win back Irani influence

KABUL:

Maulavi Mahdi, the ex-military leader of the Shia-dominated Balkhab district of Sar-e Pol, Afghanistan, was killed in an operation on Wednesday by the security forces of the Islamic Emirate as he tried to flee to Iran.

A spokesperson of the Mahdi Militia confirmed that the former ally of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) died today in Herat while he was fleeing to Iran, following his exit from the Afghan Taliban.

Mahdi, a former Taliban intelligence chief of Bamyan, had separated ways from the Taliban owing to internal disputes pertaining to power and an issue with conforming to central command orders.

Read: A year of Taliban rule gives Afghanistan security but little hope

The IEA's local commanders, as well as the spokesperson of the militia, have confirmed his death on conditions of anonymity and added that an announcement will be made by the minister of defence or Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.

د سرپل ولایت بلخاب ولسوالۍ لپاره د بغاوتګرو مشر مولوي مهدي ووژل شو

د اسلامي امارت ځواکونو د سرپل ولایت د بلخاب ولسوالۍ د بغاوتګرو مشر مولوي مهدي د هرات ولایت اړوند سرحدي سیمه کې چې غوښتل یې ایران ته وتښتي، له منځه یووړ... pic.twitter.com/HnuQRXwkHM

— د ملي دفاع وزارت - وزارت دفاع ملی (@modafghanistan2) August 17, 2022

Takht was previously under Mahdi's control, as he waged war against allied forces but never confronted them.

The Taliban had, however, on a number of occasions sent a score of Jirgas to reconcile with Mahdi but he had already turned his guns against the central government.

Prior to his killing, Mahdi, an ethnic Hazara of Afghanistan, had reportedly hoped to win back Irani influence.