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Taliban leader Mullah Omar 'is dead' | Taliban leader Mullah Omar 'is dead' |
(34 minutes later) | |
The leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar, has died, Afghan officials say, but the militant group has not commented on the claim. | |
The reclusive leader died two to three years ago, Afghan government and intelligence sources said. No further details were released. | |
A Taliban spokesman contacted by the BBC said the group would issue a statement shortly. | |
There have been several reports of Mullah Omar's death in the past. | |
However, this is the first to be confirmed by top sources in the Afghan government. | |
Mullah Omar led the Taliban to victory over rival Afghan militias in the civil war that followed the withdrawal of Soviet troops. | |
His alliance with al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden prompted the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. | |
Mullah Omar has since been in hiding, with a $10m US state department bounty on his head. | |
Over the years, the Taliban have released several messages purported to be from the fugitive leader. | |
Mullah Mohammed Omar |