Taliban's Enigmatic Spiritual Leader Still At Large

Photo: A purported photo of Mullah Mohammed Omar from a U.S. government Web site offering a $10 million reward for his capture. The authenticity of this photo is in dispute. Rewards for Justice/U.S. Dept. of State

From NPR:

NPR.org, March 27, 2009 · As the Obama administration reviews U.S. strategy in Afghanistan, there are reports that officials are considering opening talks with so-called moderate Taliban leaders but also expanding attacks on Taliban strongholds in neighboring Pakistan.

In either case, the U.S. calculation will have to factor in the man who has led the Taliban since its creation in the 1990s, the Afghan cleric Mullah Omar.

One of the curious things about Mohammed Omar is how little is known about him. The Sunni Muslim cleric was the most powerful man in Afghanistan for five years, but he avoided the limelight of the capital, Kabul. He ruled instead from the seclusion of his home in the southern city of Kandahar, leaving the public face of the government to officials such as the Taliban foreign minister.

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