Afghanistan Cannot Confirm or Reject Mullah Omar’s Death
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Afghanistan's Presidential Palace officials said Wednesday that reports on the death of Mullah Mohammad Omar could not be confirmed or rejected as further investigations are underway.
Syed Zafar Haeshmi, deputy spokesman President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, said the government has received reports regarding the death of Mullah Mohammad Omar.
He said such reports lacks credibility, insisting that the government will fully investigate the report, Afghan online newspaper Khaama Press reported.
This comes as earlier reports suggested that sources in Pakistan have confirmed the death of Mullah Mohammad Omar to the Afghan government.
The issue was reportedly discussed during the cabinet meeting following the confirmation by the Pakistani authorities.
Meantime, a former minister of the Afghan Taliban, who is now a member of the group’s leadership, said on condition of anonymity that Mullah Omar died more than two years ago of Tuberculosis.
“Mullah Omar died two years and four months ago owing to Tuberculosis. He has been buried on Afghan side of the border,” the former Taliban minister told Pakistan’s The Express Tribune.
Earlier, Afghanistan Islamic Movement Fidai Mahaz, a Taliban-affiliated group, had said Mullah Omar was killed by Taliban leaders Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansoor and Gull Agha.
The group’s spokesman Qari Hamza said Mullah Omar was killed two years ago in the same month of July.
Hamza claimed that the group has evidences to prove its claims that Mullah Omar was killed by Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansoor and Gull Agha.
The Afghan Intelligence – National Directorate of Security (NDS) - had announced in November last year that Mullah Omar has possibly passed away amid reports that the group has been divided into three parts.