Taliban infighting leaves 40 dead in Herat

At least 40 Taliban militants were killed during an overnight night clash between two rival factions in the Shindand district of western Herat province, an official said on Sunday. Another 19 gunmen on both the sides were injured in the clash that occurred in Khofyan area of the district last night, the governor’s spokesman, Jilani Farhad, told Pajhwok Afghan News. Taliban commander Mullah Samad loyal to the group’s supreme leader, Mullah Haibatullah, clashed with fighters of a splinter group led by Commander Mullah Nangyali. Nangyali is loyal to Mullah Rassoul, the splinter Taliban group leader, who parted with the main Taliban group after the death of the insurgency’s founder Mullah Mohammad Omar. Mullah Samad lost eight fighters and Mullah Nangyali eight to the last night clash that stretched into Sunday morning, the governor’s spokesman said. Farhad said some Taliban gunmen from Farah and Helmand provinces had arrived to the aid of Mullah Samad. Both sides suffered financial and human losses. Some residents of Khofyan locality confirmed the clash and said they heard the sounds of heavy weapons fire all the night. Mohammad, a resident, said the two groups often clashed in the area.