Taliban shootout in palace: Mullah Baradar was attacked, punched by Haqqani

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was physically attacked by a leader of the US terrorist-designated Haqqani Network in early September during talks at the palace over forming the cabinet, say sources

The man the U.S. and its allies hoped would be a moderate voice in Afghanistan’s Taliban government has been sidelined after a dramatic shootout in the presidential palace in Kabul, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the group’s most public face who led peace talks with the U.S., was physically attacked by a leader of the U.S. terrorist-designated Haqqani Network in early September during talks at the palace over forming the cabinet, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing the incident.

Baradar had pushed for an “inclusive” cabinet that included non-Taliban leaders and ethnic