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Taliban storm Afghan airport

Taliban militants have stormed the airport complex in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar city, triggering gunfights and explosions as a regional conference kicked off in Pakistan with hopes of reviving peace talks with the insurgents.

There was no immediate information on casualties in Tuesday’s ongoing attack, the first major assault after days of fevered speculation that Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in an internal firefight.

“Several insurgents managed to breach the first gate of the complex,” Samim Khpalwak, a spokesman for the Kandahar provincial governor, told AFP.

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“They have taken up position in a school inside the complex.”

Mohammad Mohsin Sultani, the military spokesman in Kandahar, said the exact number of attackers was unclear and Afghan troops were engaged in a heavy gunfight with them.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes a day before Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is due to visit Islamabad for the Heart of Asia regional conference.

“A number of mujahideen martyrdom-seekers equipped with heavy and light weapons entered Kandahar airport and have attacked invading forces,” the Taliban said in as statement.

“Fierce fighting is ongoing.”

Ghani’s willingness to visit Pakistan for the conference, a longtime regional nemesis, has signalled a renewed push to jumpstart peace talks with the Taliban.

Pakistan, which has historically supported the Afghan Taliban and wields considerable influence over the insurgents, hosted a milestone first round of peace negotiations in July.

But the talks soon stalled when the Taliban belatedly confirmed the death of their longtime leader Mullah Omar.

Tuesday’s brazen raid comes after days of frantic conjecture about the fate of Mansour following reports that he was critically wounded in a shootout with his own commanders in Pakistan.

The Taliban released an audio message on Saturday purportedly from Mansour, vehemently rejecting reports of any shootout as “enemy propaganda”.

Ghani also said on Monday that there was no evidence to prove that Mansour is dead but multiple insurgent sources have cast doubt on the authenticity of the Taliban audio message.

Vehement denials by the Islamist group of any clash have fallen on sceptical ears, especially after they kept the death of longtime chief Mullah Omar secret for two years.

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