KABUL: Taliban supremo Mulla Omar died two years ago in Pakistan, Afghanistan claimed on Wednesday, after unnamed government and militant sources reported the demise of the reclusive warrior-cleric. Rumours of Mulla Omar’s ill-health and even death have regularly surfaced in the past, but the latest claims — just two days before fresh peace talks with the insurgents — mark the first such confirmation from the Afghan government. “The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, based on credible information, confirms that Mulla Mohammad Omar, leader of the Taliban, died in April 2013 in Pakistan,” a statement from the presidential palace said. Haseeb Sediqi, the spokesman for the National Directorate of Security, told AFP that Mulla Omar died in a Karachi hospital “under mysterious circumstances”.Mulla Omar’s death would mark a significant blow to an almost 14-year insurgency, which is threatened by the rise of the Islamic State group in South Asia. The announcement also cast doubt over the second round of negotiations between the insurgents and Afghan government, which are expected to take place in Pakistan tomorrow (Friday). Confirmation of Omar’s death could trigger a power struggle within the Taliban, observers say, with insurgent sources claiming his son Mohammad Yakoub and current deputy Mullah Mansour are both top contenders to replace him. Wednesday’s official announcement comes after unnamed government and militant sources told media, including AFP, the one-eyed leader died two or three years ago — and after the Afghan government said it was investigating reports of his death. “We can confirm that Mulla Omar died two years ago... in Pakistan due to an illness,” a senior official in Afghanistan’s national unity government told AFP earlier. “He was buried in Zabul province (in southern Afghanistan),” said the official, citing Afghan intelligence sources.The insurgents in April published a descriptive biography of the “charismatic” supreme leader in a surprise move apparently aimed at countering the creeping influence of the Islamic State group within their ranks. The Taliban have reportedly seen defections to IS in recent months, with some members expressing disaffection with the low-profile leader Omar.The biography, posted on the Taliban’s official website to commemorate Mulla Omar’s apparent 19th year as supreme leader, tried to dispel speculation he had died by describing him as actively involved in “Jihadi activities”. And earlier this month in a message released in Mulla Omar’s name, the leader was quoted as hailing the peace process as “legitimate”.The comments, the first reputedly made by Mulla Omar on the nascent dialogue, eased concerns at the time that the process lacked the leadership’s backing. Meanwhile, the White House said that reports that Taliban leader Mulla Omar has died “are credible.”But spokesman Eric Schultz would not be drawn on a specific claim by Afghanistan that he had died two years ago in Pakistan. Online adds: The Afghan Taliban and sources close to the insurgent group’s upcoming peace talks with the Afghan government in Pakistan this week are rejecting reports that Mulla Omar is dead. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid insisted that the group’s leader “is very much alive” and the rumours of his death are aimed at drawing out the reclusive leader, VoA reported. Sources with knowledge of the nascent Afghan peace process also dismissed reports of Mulla Omar’s death, suggesting they are aimed at derailing the second round of talks planned to take place in Pakistan.
