KABUL, Afghanistan, July 29 (UPI) — Mullah Omar, the reclusive supreme leader of the Taliban in Afghanistan, died nearly two years ago from Tuberculosis, reports revealed on Wednesday.
“Mullah Omar died two years and four months ago owing to Tuberculosis. He has been buried on the Afghan side of the border,” a former minister told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity.
“Mullah Omar’s son had identified the body of his father.”
There have been several reports of Omar’s death in the past, but this is the first to be confirmed by top Afghan government sources, the BBC reported. The Taliban will reportedly comment later today.
Earlier this month, the Afghan Taliban released a message attributed to Mullah Omar to mark the Ramadan festival of Eid al-Fitr. He has not been seen in public for at least 13 years.
His death raises questions about who will lead the movement as it is deeply divided over whether to pursue peace talks with the Afghan government to end the 14-year war.
Mullah Omar was seen as a charismatic supreme leader who was directly involved in “jihadi activities.” In a biography published earlier this year, he was described as someone with a “special sense of humor.”
He became the Taliban’s supreme leader in 1996 and was forced into hiding following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. The U.S. State Department has had a $10 million bounty on his whereabouts. Over the years, he formed close ties with al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden.
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