When contacted by the Voice of America, a Taliban spokesman insisted that the group’s leader “is very much alive” and the rumours of his death were aimed at drawing out the leader.
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The pair fled Afghanistan on a motorbike in 2001 following the US-led invasion.
In its statement, the government called on “all armed opposition groups to seize the opportunity and join the peace process”.
“Mullah Omar died two years and four months ago owing to tuberculosis”.
The confirmation comes two days before the Afghan government and the Taliban are to hold their second round of official peace talks in Pakistan. “The Taliban movement is based on the Taliban ideology”, said Agha, who lives in Kabul under surveillance but remains in touch with some senior Taliban.
It was unclear why news of his death was just now emerging, although there have been other reports of his death since 2001.
Spokesperson Eric Schultz said that reports “were credible”, but did not comment on the specific claim made by Afghanistan that he had died two years ago in a Karachi hospital. The U.S. toppled the regime for giving safe haven to al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden ahead of the 9/11 attacks.
It was not immediately clear why his death was only announced now.
Afghan officials are saying Omar’s death, even if it’s not particularly recent, proves the need for peace talks, though the timing seems awkward since it would undercut Omar’s own endorsement of the process. These reports started making headlines when debates about Omar’s successor started circulating in the Pakistani media, said Tolo.
“Mullah Omar’s son had identified the body of his father”.
A security official in Pakistan, the country hosting the talks, told AP that the claims of Mullah Omar’s death were mere “speculation”, designed to destabilise the negotiations. Many observers believe that the war is being directed on the battlefield by leaders who believe they can defeat government forces.
He had become a symbol and a unifying figure within the Taliban.
The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to journalists about the situation.
Omar had been the supreme commander and spiritual leader of Afghanistan since 1996.
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President Ashraf Ghani is keen to broker a settlement with the insurgents, who have been gaining territory in pockets of the country and intensifying attacks on military and political targets.
