Top Taliban Negotiator is an Imposter, Source Says

A source has confirmed a man conducting peace negotiations with the Afghan government is not Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansou.

Afghan President Hamid Kazai is refuting reports that the man he has been negotiating with is in fact a shopkeeper from the Pakistani town of Quetta, not a Taliban leader. But a source close to the negotiations has confirmed that the man is not Mansou, delivering an embarrassing blow to Karzai, who has touted negotiations as the best way to bring an end to the Afghan war. The man claiming to be Mansou has met with government officials three times in recent months, and was escorted to negotiations by UN agents. It’s unclear why officials would have had difficulty identifying Mansou, as there are many former Taliban working in Karzai’s government and Mansou is a well-known figure in the country.