Reclusive Taliban leader releases Eid message urging officials to set aside their differences

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban’s reclusive supreme leader is urging his officials to set aside their differences. Public dissent within the Taliban is rare, but some senior figures have expressed their disagreement with the leadership’s decision making, especially the ban on female education. Saturday’s written statement from Hibatullah Akhundzada was published ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. Akhundzada, who almost never appears in public, said the Taliban should live “a brotherly life among themselves, avoid disagreements and selfishness.” The message is more conciliatory and practical than his previously released remarks, which have been defiant and triumphalist about the changes in Afghanistan since their takeover.