Afghanistan examining claim Taliban leader Mullah Omar died

Media reports in Afghanistan and Pakistan this week said Omar died about two years ago, with some of the reports indicating his son was in a position to take over.

The rumors come two days before the next round of talks between the Afghan government and Taliban representatives is due to be held in Pakistan.

Mullah Omar and most of his comrades have constantly evaded capture despite one of the largest manhunts in the world, and are believed to be guiding the resurgent Taliban.

The US State Department had placed a 10 million-dollar bounty on Omar’s head.

The US-led invasion was prompted by the Taliban’s alliance with Al-Qaeda in following the September 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center buildings in New York.

The group reportedly published a 5,000 word document released to mark his nineteenth year of leadership on a Taliban web site in four languages, scotching the rumours about the death of the reclusive one-eyed leader.

However, this is the first to be confirmed by top sources in the Afghan government.

Over the years, the Taliban have released several messages purported to be from the fugitive leader.

Tentative peace talks have begun aimed at ending the war, with the Taliban split between those who support dialogue and others who want to continue to fight for power.

Since then the Taliban has been fighting an insurgency against the Western-backed government in Kabul, killing thousands of civilians and military personnel.