India, Jan. 16 -- A rare leaked audio recording has lifted the veil on deepening divisions within Afghanistan's Taliban leadership, revealing fears of internal collapse voiced by the group's supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.

The speech, delivered at a madrassa in Kandahar in January 2025, captured Akhundzada warning that infighting among Taliban officials could ultimately destroy the Islamic Emirate.

In the recording obtained by the BBC, Akhundzada cautioned Taliban members that internal disputes could prove more dangerous than external threats.

"As a result of these divisions, the emirate will collapse and end," he warned, marking one of the clearest acknowledgements of discord at the top of the regime since the Taliban returned ...