White House, Afghan Government Confirm 2013 Death of Taliban Leader

He said U.S. intelligence agencies are now reviewing those reports and the circumstances in which the Taliban leader died.

Earlier, the Afghan government announced that Omar died in Pakistan in April 2013, “confirming” reports about the one-eyed extremist leader who ruled the violence-torn country with an iron fist between 1996 and 2001.

A former Taliban minister who was once close to Mullah Omar said he had died of tuberculosis and was “buried somewhere near the border on the Afghan side”.

“We are aware of the reports of the passing of Mullah Omar, the Taliban leader”, Sayed Zafar Hashemi, a spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani, told reporters on Wednesday.

“That gives us reason to believe that he has died”. Until this week, U.S. officials said they had no credible evidence of his death.

FILE – In this undated image released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Mullah Omar is…

The insurgents have not officially confirmed the death of the supreme leader of the Taliban, who has not been seen publicly since the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan that toppled the Taliban government in Kabul.

New rumours are circulating about the alleged death of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar. The Taliban is expected to issue a statement soon. Ending Afghanistan’s war with the Taliban has been a main priority for Ghani since he took office past year.

Earlier this month, the Taliban issued a message justifying the peace talks and attributed it to Mullah Omar to mark the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr. He fled into Pakistan on a motorcycle and was never seen again.

Thousands of civilians and security personnel are killed each year in the violence, which has worsened since North Atlantic Treaty Organisation withdrew at the end of 2014.

In the capital, reports of his death have received mixed reactions. John McCain (R., Ariz.), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

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. In his 50s, he lost his right eye fighting the Soviets in the 1980s and led the Taliban to victory over rival factions in the civil war that followed, becoming Afghanistan’s head of state in 1996. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it had no information about the announcement. “There is a chance of a stampede toward the emerging power, that is Islamic State”.

Even with Omar in hiding, the Taliban has continued attacks in Afghanistan, including a June auto bombing at the parliament compound in Kabul. “So I just don’t think they’re going to take that risk”.

The message was a text document and released on the Taliban’s website.

With the Taliban’s leadership in question, however, it is unlikely there will be much progress on reconciliation.