More News On The The Death Of Taliban Leader Mullah Omar (Updated)

Daily Mail: Taliban appoint new leader as family of former commander Mullah Omar say he died from an 'unspecified illness'

* Akhtar Mohammed Mansour thought to have been named Supreme Leader
* Known as a moderate who is keen on a peace deal with Pakistani officials
* Appointment has thought to have caused a rift with more militant leaders
* Comes as letter thought to be from family of Omar says he died of illness

The Taliban have appointed a successor to leader Mullah Omar just a day after the Afghan government revealed he has been dead for the last two years.
Mullah Akhtar Mohammed Mansour, Omar's former deputy, has reportedly been elevated to the rank of 'Supreme Leader', sources close to the Taliban said.
Mansour was the former minister for civil aviation when the Taliban controlled Afghanistan from 1993 to 2001 before going into hiding following the American invasion.

More News On The The Death Of Taliban Leader Mullah Omar (Updated)

Taliban Announce New Leader, and Pick 2 Deputies From Hard-Line Wing -- NYT
Afghan Taliban announces new leader -- L.A. Times
The Afghan Taliban Has Elected a New Leader After Mullah Omar’s Death -- Time
Taliban Announces New Leader as Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor -- NBC
Afghan Taliban Praise New Leader in Effort to Rally Ranks -- AP
Taliban Announce New Leadership -- VOA
Taliban leader Mullah Omar is dead. Here's why that matters. -- Zack Beauchamp, VOX
Taliban leader Omar’s tale reflects clashing agendas -- Greg Miller, Washington Post
After Mullah Omar, Taliban leaders face a legitimacy crisis -- Michael Wahid Hanna, Al Jazeera

The Afghan Taliban enter uncharted territory -- Dawood Azami, BBC

Commentaries And Analysis On Reports That Afghan Taliban Leader Mullah Omar Is Dead

Nikhil Kumar, Time: How the Death of Mullah Omar Could Disrupt Progress in Afghanistan

The one-eyed leader died two years ago, it has emerged. The news could impact hopes for peace with the Taliban

Only two weeks ago, Mullah Omar’s name surfaced on a website linked to the Afghan Taliban in a message approving of the insurgents’ peace talks with Afghan government officials. There was no video or audio, just a short statement purportedly from the one-eyed leader of the militants who ruled Afghanistan before fleeing into hiding amid U.S. airstrikes in late 2001. And there he stayed, appearing only as the shadowy signatory of occasional messages such as the one that appeared in mid-July.

WNU Editor: If he was dead .... we would have known about it within 24 hours .... not 2 years after the fact. But then again ... who really knows.

Commentaries And Analysis On Reports That Afghan Taliban Leader Mullah Omar Is Dead

Rumors of Mullah Omar’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated Before -- Shane Harris & Nancy A. Youssef, Daily Beast
Mullah Omar – the evasive ghost who lead the Taliban through secrecy -- Emma Graham-Harrison and Sune Engel Rasmussen in Mazar-i-Sharif, The Guardian
Mullah Omar’s Death Makes Afghan Peace Even Harder to Reach -- Eltaf Najafizada, Bloomberg
Taliban Chief Mullah Omar Said Dead in Afghan Peace Setback -- Eltaf Najafizada, Bloomberg
Expert view: Why Mullah Omar's death would be significant for the Taliban -- The Telegraph
Taliban leader Mullah Omar declared dead, but does it even matter now? -- Karan Pradhan, First Post
If Mullah Omar Really Is Dead, What Does That Mean for the Taliban? -- Joshua Keating, Slate
Can The Taliban Survive Mullah Omar's Death? -- Frud Bezhan, Radio Free Europe
Why no one believes it when Taliban leader Mohammad Omar ‘dies’ -- Adam Taylor, Washington Post
Dead or Alive, Is Mullah Omar Still a Wanted Man? -- Ankit Panda, The Diplomat
Who was Taliban leader Mullah Omar? -- Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA TODAY
Mullah Omar: The myth and the movement -- Lyse Doucet, BBC
How Death of Taliban’s Mullah Omar Could Boost ISIS in Afghanistan -- Michael Kugelman, WSJ
Taliban leader, who Afghanistan says is dead, a pious enigma -- Reuters
Profile: Mullah Mohammed Omar -- BBC
Five things to know about Mullah Omar -- The Hill
Major Events in the Life of Taliban Leader Mullah Omar -- AP

Mullah Omar: Taliban Leader 'Died In Pakistan In 2013'

BBC: Mullah Omar: Taliban leader 'died in Pakistan in 2013'

Taliban leader Mullah Omar died two years ago in Pakistan, a spokesman for Afghanistan's security services says.

Abdul Hassib Seddiqi told the BBC's Afghan Service that Mullah Omar had died of health problems at a hospital in Pakistan.

Afghanistan's government says information on his death is "credible".

The latest reports of Mullah Omar's death are being taken more seriously than previous such reports. The Taliban is expected to issue a statement soon.

WNU Editor: The Taliban are denying these reports .... Is the one-eyed Taliban leader REALLY dead? Mystery as Afghan officials say Mullah Omar died from an illness two years ago - but terror group insists he's still alive (Daily Mail).

More News On Reports That Afghan Taliban Leader Mullah Omar Died In Pakistan In 2013

Afghanistan says Taliban leader dead, urges peace talks -- Reuters
Taliban leader Mullah Omar is dead, Afghanistan says -- AFP
Afghan Intelligence: Taliban leader Mullah Omar was dead. -- AP
Afghan presidency confirms 2013 death of Mullah Omar -- France 24
Mullah Mohammad Omar, Taliban leader, said to have died in 2013 -- Washington Post
Afghanistan Says Mullah Omar, Taliban Leader, Died in 2013 -- NYT
Taliban's Mullah Omar died in 2013, Afghan government says -- CNN
Reports: Taliban chief Mullah Omar is dead -- The Hill
Afghanistan intelligence: Taliban leader Mullah Omar died in Karachi in 2013 -- Deutsche Welle
Taliban Leader Mullah Omar Is Dead, Afghan Spy Agency Says -- WSJ
Afghan Government: Taliban Leader Mullah Omar Died in 2013 -- VOA
Taliban leader Mullah Omar is dead, says Afghan government -- The Guardian
Taliban leader Mullah Omar 'has been dead for two years', Afghan government confirms -- The Independent
Afghan intelligence officials confirm death of Taliban leader Mullah Omar -- FOX News
Afghan gov't: Taliban leader Mullah Omar is dead -- CBS
Mullah Omar 'Died Two Years Ago', Officials Say -- SKY News
Taliban Chief Mullah Omar Is Dead: Reports -- IBTimes
Afghan government says Mullah Omar dead -- Al Jazeera
Afghan Officials Report Taliban Group Leader Mullah Omar Dead -- Sputnik
Taliban leader Mullah Omar dead - Afghan, Pakistani govt sources -- RT
Reports: Taliban leader Mullah Omar is dead -- Politico
Taliban Leader Mullah Omar Is 'Dead' -- Vice News
White House says believes reports of Taliban leader's death are 'credible' -- Reuters
White House Says Mullah Omar Death Reports Are Credible -- NYT/AP

Where Is The Afghan - Taliban Leader Mullah Muhammad Omar?

Photo: A file photo of the man believed to be Mullah Omar.

Around An Invisible Leader, Taliban Power Shifts -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — If the Taliban’s reclusive leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, were ever to assert himself more publicly, this would have been the year to do it.

In a season of immense upheaval in the jihadist world, the Taliban gained ground in new Afghan offensives, endured a bloody internal power struggle and had to contend with the rise of the Islamic State militant group as an ideological rival. Through it all, Mullah Omar has remained silent.

Further, though he has stayed completely out of the public eye since he fled American airstrikes in late 2001, his reclusiveness became even more pronounced in the past year: Now, all but two of the Taliban’s leaders who had direct access to Mullah Omar have been cut off, according to senior Taliban figures and Afghan and Western officials, all of whom say a significant power shift is underway.

“I have not seen Mullah Omar in a very long time,” Maulvi Najibullah, a senior Taliban military commander, said in a telephone interview from Peshawar, in northern Pakistan.

The invisibility of Mullah Omar has been accentuated by the visible role of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State, reinforcing the Taliban’s increasingly secondary role in the world of Islamist militants, Afghan and Western officials said.

So, is the influence of the elusive mullah waning?

Read more ....

Update: Taliban leader Mullah Omar hiding in Pak: Afghan spy chief -- Times of India/PTI

My Comment: It seems that when it comes to finding the Taliban’s reclusive leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar .... all roads lead to Pakistan.

Afghan Taliban Leader Mullah Mohammad Omar Claims Victory in Afghan War

Taliban Chief Mullah Omar Claims Victory Through His Eid Message -- Khaama Press

The Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has claimed victory in Afghan war through his message issued on the occasion of Eid.

“Your Jihad and ungrudging sacrifices against the occupation have defeated the Americans, their Western allies and domestic supporters altogether with the Help of Allah (May Glory be upon Him),” Mullah Omar said.

He also added, “All their strategies have proved to be ineffective, with their diplomatic efforts facing fiasco, besides disgrace and ignominy. The NATO Summit in Wales under the leadership of America, the recent slandering in Afghanistan under the name of elections and the continuous advancements of the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate are proofs, speaking well for themselves.”

Read more ....

Update: Taliban Supreme Leader Claims Victory in Afghan War: Reports -- RIA Novosti

My Comment: He has been saying the same thing for years from his home in Pakistan .... this is nothing new.

Afghan Taliban Leader Mullah Omar Rejects Elections And Vows To Continue The War

Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE

Taliban Reject Afghan Elections, Vow To Fight Until Troops Leave -- Reuters

Aug 6 (Reuters) - The Afghan Taliban will not take part in next year's presidential elections and will wage war until foreign troops leave the country, the group's elusive leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, said in a message released on Tuesday.

The announcement is likely to frustrate the international community, which had been hoping the resumption of stalled peace talks in the Gulf state of Qatar may lead to the Islamist group's participation in the April elections.

"As to the deceiving drama under the name of elections 2014, our pious people will not tire themselves out, nor will they participate," an English translation of Omar's message, provided by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, said.

The Taliban rejected two previous presidential elections but this was the first time they have publicly boycotted the 2014 poll.

Read more ....

More News On Afghan Taliban Leader Mullah Mohammad Omar Commenting On Elections, Peace Talks, And The War

Taliban leader dismisses Afghan vote as 'waste of time' -- FOX News/AFP
Taliban's Mullah Omar rejects Afghan polls as 'waste of time' -- The Guardian
Taliban chief Mullah Mohd. Omer dismiss Afghan presidential elections -- Khaama Press
Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar vows no power grab -- BBC
Taliban leader downplays talks with U.S. -- Washington Times
Taliban leader says still willing to talk -- USA Today
Taliban Chief Warns on Keeping Foreign Troops in Afghanistan -- Wall Street Journal
Mullah Omar says Taliban wants "inclusive government" in Afghanistan -- Foreign Policy
Defiant message further dims Afghan peace hopes -- Stars and Stripes
Eid message: Mullah Omar blames US for Qatar dialogue deadlock -- Express Tribune

My Comment: No one has seen or heard from Mullah Omar for over 10 years. Is he the one who is making these remarks .... or is it just a spokesman for the Taliban using his name .... no one really knows.

Where Is Taliban Leader Mullah Omar?

Photo: Taliban Leader Mullah Omar

Taliban Commanders Questioning Whether Reclusive Supreme Leader Is Still Truly In Charge — Or Even Alive -- National Post

In early 2002, as local and American forces closed in on his southern Afghanistan hideout, the Taliban’s supreme leader reportedly hopped onto a motorcycle and buzzed away to safety.

Mullah Mohmmad Omar was always a reclusive figure, even during his brutal, iron-fisted rule over the country, but since his escape 11 years ago, he has all but vanished.

Now, as the Taliban launches an historic attempt to negotiate an end to the Afghan conflict, even some within the insurgency are questioning whether the one-eyed emir is still truly in charge — or even alive.

For the Taliban’s official organization, the intriguing question, “Where is Mullah Omar?”, is a non-issue.

Read more ....

My Comment: I suspect that he is still alive. As to not showing his face to the public .... he was like that when he was ruling Afghanistan before the U.S. invasion in 2001.

Taliban Leader Mullah Omar: Vows To Take Kabul 'Within A Week' Of U.S. Pullout

Photo: Taliban Leader Mullah Omar

Taliban Leader Mullah Omar Vowed To Take Kabul 'Within A Week' Of U.S. Pullout -- FOX News

Mullah Omar, the elusive, one-eyed Taliban leader who has been in hiding with a price on his head since the U.S. ousted his regime in Afghanistan, recently told confidantes his group will retake Kabul “in a week” once America pulls out.

The seldom seen Taliban spiritual leader, of whom only one purported photograph exists, made the pledge at a recent meeting in the badlands of southwestern Pakistan, according to a source in regular contact with a member of Mullah Omar’s government-in-exile, dubbed the Quetta Shura.

Mullah Omar, who escaped his homeland in 2001 on a motorcycle as U.S. forces moved in, spoke just days before President Obama announced the U.S. plans to engage the Taliban in peace talks. On the day of that announcement, the Taliban took credit for a bombing that killed four U.S. service members at Bagram Airfield, a U.S. military base in Afghanistan.

Read more ....

My Comment: One more reason to have doubts that U.S. efforts in organizing peace talks is doomed to failure.

Afghan Taliban Leader Claims Victory In Eid Message

Taliban Leader Claims Victory In Eid Message -- Al Jazeera

Mullah Omar says "unique distinction" of this year's summer offensive is that it has reached all corners of Afghanistan.

Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban, has issued an Eid message claiming victories on the battlefield against NATO.

The rare statement from Omar, believed by Afghanistan to be hiding in neighbouring Pakistan, came on Friday as Muslims prepared for Eid-al-Fitr celebrations marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

The seven-page message was posted on the Taliban's website.

Read more ....

More News on Taliban Leader Mullah Omar

Mullah Omar issues Eid message -- Pakistan Today/AFP
Taliban leader urges insurgents to cut civilian deaths -- Jerusalem Post/Reuters
Taliban chief says his fighters have infiltrated Afghan forces and are killing foreign troops -- Washington Post/AP
Reclusive Taliban leader says fighters infiltrating Afghan forces -- CNN
NATO brands Taliban leader Omar's Eid message 'insane' -- AFP
ISAF Commander Slams Mullah Omar's Eid Message As 'Message Of Death, Hate' -- RTT News
Taliban Leader Issues "An Unmistakable Message of Death" -- Voice of America

Why Did Afghanistan's Taliban Leader Go Into Hiding?

Rumors Swirl As Afghans Say Taliban's Mullah Omar Has Moved -- McClatchy News

KABUL, Afghanistan — The Afghan Taliban on Monday denied reports that their leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, one of the most wanted men in Afghanistan, had been killed, as Afghan authorities said that he'd disappeared from Quetta, Pakistan, where he's thought to have spent the last 10 years hiding out.

An Afghan government official said he couldn't confirm Omar's death but that Afghan intelligence thought that Omar had left his longtime Quetta base four or five days ago and hadn't been seen since.

Read more ....

My Comment: Ben Farmer and Dean Nelson for The Telegraph sum it up best .... after the killing of Osama Bin laden, Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar knows that he is next. As to why did he decide to flee now .... from my vantage point it looks like someone gave him a tip that U.S./Pakistani intelligence agents were zeroing in on him, and now was the time to go into hiding .... a situation that (after the death of his ally Bin laden) he did not need much encouragement.

Rumors Of Afghan Taliban Leader Mullah Omar Having A Heart Attack Denied By The Taliban And Pakistan

A rare photograph of Mullah Omar in hiding in 2001 Photo: REUTERS

Taliban Deny Mullah Omar Had Heart Attack -- The Telegraph

The Taliban have denied a report that their fugitive leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, has had a heart attack and is convalescing with the help of Pakistan’s military spy agency.

A spokesman for the insurgents dismissed the report as American propaganda, saying Omar was fit and well.

Pakistan, which is accused of harbouring the insurgents’ leadership, also rejected the report from a private intelligence network and published by a US newspaper.

Omar was rushed to a Karachi hospital on January 7 it said, quoting an unnamed doctor who had seen him struggling to recover from surgery to fit a tube in his heart.

Read more ....

More News On Taliban Leader Mullah Omar Having A Heart Attack

Pakistani spies allegedly rushed Taliban chief Mullah Omar over border for treatment after heart attack -- The Australian
ISI helped Mullah Omar get treated in Karachi: report -- One India
Report: Pakistani spy agency rushed Mullah Omar to hospital -- Washington Post
Taliban chief Mullah Omar treated in Pakistan: report -- DAWN/AFP
Mullah Omar as a new mythological hero -- Voice of Russia
What would losing Mullah Omar mean to the Taliban? -- The Telegraph
Who is Mullah Omar? -- The Telegraph

Afghanistan's Taliban Leader Has Suffered A Heart Attack

A rare photograph of Mullah Omar in hiding in 2001 Photo: REUTERS

Taliban Leader Mullah Omar 'Has Had A Heart Attack' -- The Telegraph

Mullah Omar, the one-eyed leader of the Taliban has been operated on in Pakistan in order to save his life after a heart attack, according to reports.

Omar and his associates are said to base themselves in Quetta across the Pakistan border from Afghanistan, where they allegedly have the protection of the Pakistani military.

The report suggests that the Pakistanis are keen to keep him alive to preserve their influence over the Taliban, despite official denials.

Read more ....

Update: Report: Pakistani spy agency rushed Mullah Omar to hospital -- Washington Post

My Comment: The leader of Afghanistan's Taliban is taken by Pakistani intelligence officials .... and given life saving treatment in a hospital.

Hmmm .... it seems obvious on who the Pakistani Government/intelligence services support .... and it is not us.

Where Is The Afghan Taliban Leader Mullah Omar?

Mullah Mohammed Omar, pictured circa 1996. K H / Magnum Photos

‘This Mullah Omar Show’ -- Newsweek

No one’s heard from the Taliban leader in almost nine years. Now his absence is exposing dangerous fault lines within the insurgency.

A thrill coursed through the Taliban’s ranks a few weeks ago—someone was said to have seen a new video that showed Mullah Mohammed Omar in the distance, firing a Kalashnikov. The insurgents rejoiced: they hadn’t heard from their reclusive leader since late 2001, when he rode east into the Kandahar mountains on the back of his brother-in-law’s motorcycle, fleeing a storm of U.S. bombs.

Read more ....

My Comment: Every insurgency needs a leader .... especially if the perception is that they are wining and that they are not far from gaining power. For the Taliban in Afghanistan, the heavy fighting that has occurred in the country this summer has raised these legitimate questions .... and if Mullah Omar does not make an appearance soon, expect the younger commanders to start jockeying for power and influence.

Pakistan Says Taliban Leader Will Talk To U.S.

Photo: Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Afghan Taliban leader, has been a fugitive from U.S.-led forces since 2001.

From CNN:

(CNN) -- Pakistan's military has declared that not only is it in contact with Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar but that it can bring him and other commanders to the negotiating table with the United States.

The acknowledgment of on-going communication with Taliban forces using sanctuary in Pakistan to launch military strikes against U.S. troops in neighboring Afghanistan is part of a new diplomatic overture to help the Obama administration find an end to the long-running conflict.

Read more ....

My Comment: This report gives more questions than answers. Is Pakistani Intelligence keeping Mohammad Omar under wraps? What level of support is being offered to him now? What has been offered in the past? What do they want the Americans to give in return for opening discussions? What is their level of influence over the Afghan Taliban leader? Why now?

Peace in Afghanistan can only come about if there is peace in Pakistan. Can such talks be successful .... if I examine history I would have to say no. Pakistan's ISI have completely failed in combating the Taliban and their allies, and in some cases many believe that both organizations are one and the same.

If the Taliban and their Pakistani allies want to talk now, it is because they are not comfortable with the trends that they are seeing. The Pakistani Army has inflicted heavy casualties on the Taliban in their civil war, drone attacks are decimating the command levels of both Afghan and Pakistan Taliban, and the war in Afghanistan itself is inflicting heavy casualties on both sides with the advantage going towards NATO and the Afghan Government.

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.

Read more ....

Taliban Chief Proposes Formula To End Crisis In Afghanistan

From China View:

KABUL, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- Taliban elusive leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has forwarded a formula to end conflicts and bring about peace in his war-torn country, a local newspaper reported Saturday.

"Mullah Omar delivered his plan through Saudi Arabia King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz," daily Outlook quoted Iranian television channel Press TV as saying.

Without going into the details of the formula, the newspaper added that the adamant Taliban chief, contrary to the past, in the plan stressed for timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan.

"Peacekeeping troops from Muslim countries should replace the NATO and U.S. troops to ensure a smooth transition until the Afghans can reach a consensus government," Omar insisted in the formula, according to the newspaper.

Read more ....

My Comment: He is beginning to realize that the Americans are not like the Soviets, and that this war is being fought against them on an entirely different level. He is not going to make the same mistake that many in Iraq felt about the Americans .... that after a few years of conflict they will leave. What actually happened was that they stayed and the past two years decimated the Al Aaeda and Baath Party leadership in Iraq.

I am sure that Mullah Mohammad Omar sees the same thing being focused on Afghanistan now, and he does not want to suffer the same fate.