Mullah Omar leads the hard-line faction, as he has in the past.

Another uncertainty complicating the peace process is whether the plan would be accepted by the more hard-line factions within Croatia's nationalist political party.

Negotiations would require both sides to take political risks and face down their hard-line factions.

Such mutinies by hard-line factions remain a possibility, they said.

A hard-line faction of national security officials is seen as advocating increased military spending and state ownership.

The disclosure intensified the rivalry between hard-line and moderate factions in the Government.

It could also harm the hard-line faction of which he is a prominent member.

It is split into hard-line factions and others more inclined to compromise.

He asked that hard-line factions and independents be allowed to join the talks.

The attacks are believed to have been carried out by the hard-line faction of the fundamentalist movement.