Taliban leader Mullah Omar dead

Risingbd Desk: Taliban leader Mullah Omar had died, officials say. The head of the hardline Islamist movement has not been seen in public for years, leading to speculation he has been dead for some time.

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan in the late 1990s until the group was toppled by a US-led offensive in 2001.

The reclusive leader died two to three years ago, Afghan government and intelligence sources said. No further details were released.

There have been several reports of Mullah Omar`s death in the past.

However, this is the first to be confirmed by top sources in the Afghan government.

Mullah Omar led the Taliban to victory over rival Afghan militias in the civil war that followed the withdrawal of Soviet troops.

In the past 13 years, Omar has stayed completely out of the public eye amid growing power struggles within the Taliban and fears of ISIL`s influence in their ranks as an ideological rival.

Agencies

risingbd/ KABUL/ July 29, 2015/ Mahfuz/ Augustin Sujan