Kabul: The Taliban shot dead its first minority commander, Maulvi Mehdi, on the Iran border while trying to flee the country.
According to the international news agency, Maulvi Mehdi, the only commander and leader of the Taliban belonging to the minority community, was shot dead near the border of Iran in Herat province.
The involvement of Maulvi Mehdi, who belongs to the Shia school of thought and the Hazara community, was interpreted as a change in the Taliban's policies and a soft corner for minorities.
After the establishment of the government in Afghanistan, the Taliban appointed Maulvi Mehdi as the commander-in-chief of the majority province of Hazar community, but the distance between him and the government was increasing.
News of differences between the Hazara Shia commander Maulvi Mehdi and the Taliban had been circulating for a long time and today the Ministry of Defense of the Taliban government confirmed that Maulvi Mehdi was killed in a shootout while fleeing to Iran.
The international news organization Reuters tried to get the reaction of Maulvi Mehdi's spokesperson on this news, but could not be contacted.
