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Afghan government investigating claims of Taliban leader Mullah Omar's death Afghan government investigates claims of Taliban leader Mullah Omar's death
(about 3 hours later)
The Afghan government has said it is investigating reports that Mullah Omar, the head of the Taliban, has been dead for two years. The Afghan government has said it is investigating reports that Mullah Omar, head of the Taliban, has been dead for two years.
The Taliban has yet to confirm or deny the claims, which follow a week of speculation about the the fate of the insurgent leader. The Taliban has yet to confirm or deny the claims, which follow a week of speculation about the the fate of the insurgent leader. A Pakistani intelligence official, speaking to the Guardian, said they had been aware of Omar’s death since January 2014, based on information received from “close aides” of the militant chief and family members.
Rumours of the Taliban leader’s death have been rife for years, but he has never before been declared dead by the government. Omar, who was the Taliban’s head of state from 1996, has not been seen in public since the US-led coalition toppled his government in 2001. Related: Dead or alive? The story of the Taliban's missing leader Mohammed Omar
Zafar Hashemi, a deputy spokesman for the Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, made the announcement at a news conference in Kabul on Wednesday. “All I can say is that we are aware of the reports, and that we can’t confirm or deny them. We are assessing the reports,” he said. Afghanistan’s government was only informed after the recent peace discussions held by representatives of the Taliban and the Kabul government outside the Pakistani capital, he said. “Since we have to reveal it, we are doing so now,” he said. “Omar is dead and this is not something that happened now or in the recent past.”
The government’s statement comes amid deepening divisions within the Taliban. Hasib Sediqi, spokesman for the Afghan intelligence agency, NDS, said the agency has known for a while that Omar “died “suspiciously” in a hospital in Karachi in April 2013.
“We have been raising this question for the last one-and-a-half year,” he said, “We have intelligence that Mullah Omar is no longer alive. Now we are happy that foreign forces are confirming this as well.”
Rumours of the Taliban leader’s death have been rife for years. Omar, who was the Taliban’s head of state from 1996, has not been seen in public since the US-led coalition toppled his government in 2001.
Zafar Hashemi, a deputy spokesman for the Afghan president, Ashraf Ghani, told a news conference in Kabul on Wednesday: “All I can say is that we are aware of the reports, and that we can’t confirm or deny them. We are assessing the reports.”
Reports of Omar’s death come amid deepening divisions within the Taliban.
Recently, some commanders had begun to openly question whether Omar was alive, stirring speculation about who should head the movement. If confirmed, Omar’s death would throw the Taliban into a struggle over the succession.Recently, some commanders had begun to openly question whether Omar was alive, stirring speculation about who should head the movement. If confirmed, Omar’s death would throw the Taliban into a struggle over the succession.
This week, Pakistani media reported that Omar’s eldest son, 26-year-old Mullah Mohammad Yaqoub, was challenging the movement’s official number two, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, for the leadership.This week, Pakistani media reported that Omar’s eldest son, 26-year-old Mullah Mohammad Yaqoub, was challenging the movement’s official number two, Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, for the leadership.
The claims also come at a time when Ghani is trying to restart peace talks with the insurgents. After several informal meetings, an official delegation from the government met three Taliban representatives outside Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, in early July. The claims also come at a time when Ghani is trying to restart peace talks with the insurgents. The first attempts at talks have deeply divided the movement, with hardliners determined to push for an all-out military victory against the Afghan government.
After several informal meetings, an official government delegation met three Taliban representatives outside Islamabad, the Pakistani capital, in early July.
Following the summit, different factions, including the movement’s political office in Qatar, denied that the Taliban delegation represented the movement.Following the summit, different factions, including the movement’s political office in Qatar, denied that the Taliban delegation represented the movement.
Related: Mullah Omar - in his own words
The public disagreements were partly quelled the following week, however, when a statement published on the Taliban’s website, purportedly from Omar, endorsed the peace talks.The public disagreements were partly quelled the following week, however, when a statement published on the Taliban’s website, purportedly from Omar, endorsed the peace talks.
The Taliban leadership earlier published a “biography” on Omar in April in an attempt to stem discontent, emphasising that he was still the rightful leader of the faithful and of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, as the movement called the country while it was in power. Related: Mullah Omar - in his own words
But the tentative peace talks have also divided the Afghan government, where not everyone supports granting the insurgents a political role. Felix Kuehn, an author who has researched the Taliban for 10 years, suggested the reports of Omar’s death could have been leaked by people within the government who seek to create fissures in the Taliban to undercut the talks.
“If it is true, it would be a major issue for the peace talks, and it would be a major issue for the Taliban, because he can’t really be replaced,” Kuehn said.
He added that although hardly anyone claims to have seen Omar alive, he is the one thing that holds many factions of the movement together.
“He is more than a man, he is an institution,” he said. “Even the younger generation of Talibs who have never seen him, and who are not very aligned with the policies put out by the Taliban leadership, those who are more radical and less inclined to peace talks, always speak highly of Mullah Omar, and want to hear what he thinks.”
A senior diplomat closely involved in efforts to bring about a negotiated settlement agreed that the death of Omar could badly damage peace efforts if the movement continued to fracture.
“We really need a formal confirmation of this soon,” he warned. “You can either have them split into two or three factions, or you can allow uncertainty to continue and see it split into several. Our preference is that we negotiate with as cohesive a group as possible, only then do you have a chance of reaching an agreement.”
One major worry for the Taliban is that doubt about Omar’s existence has led some insurgents to form splinter groups and pledge allegiance to Islamic State.
“Several groups have been demanding they produce proof of life, particularly with the growing presence of Daesh,” said an Afghan official, using the Arabic acronym for the group that is often used derogatively.
In an attempt to stem discontent, the Taliban leadership published a “biography” on Omar in April, emphasising that he was still the rightful leader of the faithful and of the Islamic emirate of Afghanistan, as the movement called the country while it was in power.
Previous reports in 2011 of Omar’s death, which the Taliban rebutted, were started by the Afghan intelligence agency and leaked to national media.Previous reports in 2011 of Omar’s death, which the Taliban rebutted, were started by the Afghan intelligence agency and leaked to national media.
Ayman al-Zawhiri, the leader of al-Qaida, explicitly renewed a formal pledge of loyalty to Omar in September 2014 in a video announcing the formation of a new affiliate of his organisation in south Asia. If Omar was dead at the time, as the reports claim, it would indicate Zawahiri was unaware of the alleged death or unwilling to disclose it. Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaida, explicitly renewed a formal pledge of loyalty to Omar in September 2014 in a video announcing the formation of a new affiliate of his organisation in south Asia. If Omar was dead at the time, as the reports claim, it would indicate Zawahiri was unaware of the alleged death or unwilling to disclose it.