It was a piece of audio obtained by the BBC that revealed what worries the Taliban's leader most. Not an external danger, but one from within Afghanistan, which the Taliban seized control of as the previous government collapsed and the US withdrew in 2021. He warned of 'insiders in the government' pitted against each other in the Islamic Emirate the Taliban set up to govern the country. In the leaked clip, the supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada can be heard giving a speech saying that internal disagreements could eventually bring them all down. 'As a result of these divisions, the emirate will collapse and end,' he warned. The speech, made to Taliban members at a madrassa in Kandahar, January 2025, was more fuel to the fire of rumors that had been circulating for months, hinting at differences at the very top of the Taliban. While the Taliban leadership has consistently denied these rumors, the BBC embarked on a year-long investigation that revealed two distinct factions within the Taliban: one in Kandahar loyal to Akhundzada's austere vision and another in Kabul advocating for a more pragmatic approach for Afghanistan's governance, including women's rights. This division culminated in September 2025 when Akhundzada ordered an internet shutdown - a decision that faced significant pushback from the Kabul group, which was able to restore connectivity just days later. The motivations behind this internal conflict reflect conflicting ideologies over governance and engagement with the modern world. As Afghanistan grapples with these divisions, the future of its leadership remains uncertain.