A Major Split In The Afghan Taliban Leadership?

Top Taliban Commander Resigns, Revealing Major Rift In The Leadership -- Sami Yousafzai, Daily Beast

Mullah Abdul Qayam Zakir was said to be the number two to the vanished Mullah Omar. But his ultra-hard-line stance against a political solution and peace talks put him at odds with the collective leadership.

A major split in the Taliban leadership has emerged that could have far-reaching implications for the war, for the progress of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, and for the new government in Kabul as it tries to find a viable partner in peace negotiations.

According to official Taliban sources and an announcement on their Web site on Friday night, their top military commander, Mullah Abdul Qayam Zakir, has resigned for health reasons. But this follows almost two years of deepening rifts between the former Guantánamo inmate and the Taliban decision-making body known as the Quetta Shura Council. It raises fears that if the hardline Zakir was dismissed, as seems likely, he will try to make any peace settlement or truce impossible.

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My Comment: I suspect that there are some in the Taliban leadership who are getting tired of this war .... and that the time may be now to search for a political solution .... hence the breakup. This reminds me of what my father told me years ago while reflecting on his Second World War experiences .... all wars come to an end, but the problem is that some soldiers and officers just cannot stop even though the fighting has officially stopped. This is probably the case of Mullah Abdul Qayam Zakir .... he sees the Taliban leadership around him talking about peace .... but after living his entire life in conflict he just cannot accept the concept of peace.