Afghan Intelligence: Taliban Leader Mullah Omar Died Two Years Ago
According to Afghanistan’s main intelligence agency, Mullah Mohammad Omar, the Talibans’ spiritual leader turned “secretive head” and lead insurgent after the September 11 attacks, died over two years ago. And as of right now, it’s unclear exactly why it’s taken so long to report the death of the former Bin Laden confidant.
[Mullah Omar] has not been seen in public since fleeing the invasion over the border into Pakistan.
Abdul Hassib Sediqi, the spokesman for Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, said Mullah Omar died in a hospital in the Pakistani city of Karachi in April 2013.
“We confirm officially that he is dead,” he told The Associated Press. It was not immediately clear why his death was only being announced now. Neither the Taliban nor Pakistani officials could immediately be reached for comment.
Omar, who sheltered Bin Laden in the years leading up to the attacks on 9/11, was reportedly one of the inspirations for the shooting at Fort Hood several years ago, in which 45 people were ultimately shot. The shooter, Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, had been apparently been attempting to protect “the leaders of the Islamic emirate of Afghanistan, the Taliban specifically,” which included Mullah Omar.
Experts in the region fear the confirmation of Omar’s death could hinder peace talks with the Taliban. As a diplomat told the AP, “If he is dead, it would be much more difficult to get negotiations with the Taliban because there would be no collective figure to rally around and take collective responsibility for entering peace talks.”
