Mullah Omar suspected dead

The Afghan government announced its investigation into the death of the Taliban chief's death on Wednesday.

"We are aware of the reports of the passing away of Mullah Omar… We are still in the process of checking those reports and as soon as we get confirmation or verification, we will inform the Afghan people and the media," Zafar Hashemi, deputy spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani, told reporters.

The Afghan government's comments came shortly before representatives of Kabul were to talk to Taliban leaders in discussions mediated by Pakistan. The talks were planned for Friday in a location yet to be confirmed, but officials speculated it would be held in Murree, near the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. The first round of discussions was also held in the Pakistani city on July 7.

Who is Mullah Omar?

Mullah Mohammed Omar was the chief of the Taliban during its rule in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. He was last seen in public around the time of the US invasion in 2001. Mullah Omar was a figurehead for the insurgent movement and is believed to have fled the border to Pakistan and settled in Quetta.

There were also reports that he had been killed two years ago. "We can confirm that Mullah Omar died two years ago...in Pakistan due to an illness," a senior official in the Afghan government told AFP press service.

However, some officials questioned the motive of releasing the news of Mullah Omar's death now.

"Especially in light of reports that he died two years ago, why is this news being released now? It raises questions about the intentions of people who don't want talks to go forward," a Pakistani official told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The uncertainty surrounding Mullah Omar's death could further fuel divisions within the militant group and jeopardize peace talks with the government. The Taliban is already split between leaders who support talks with Kabul to end the 13-year-long war and militants who want to continue to fight for power.

Divisions within the Taliban?

"We are at a crossroads and it will take some time to resolve this [leadership] issue," Reuters news agency quoted a senior Taliban member as saying. The leader said one group within the Taliban wanted one of Omar's sons to take over, while another favored Akhtar Mohammed Mansour, a supporter of the peace talks.

"Whether he is dead or alive is important because he is the collective figure for the Taliban," a Western diplomat told the Associated Press. "If he is dead, it would be much more difficult to get negotiations with the Taliban because there would be no collective figure to rally around and take collective responsibility for entering peace talks," he added.

Afghan President Abdullah Ghani is keen to broker a settlement with the militants, who have increased attacks on political and military targets. They have also expanded their operations to the country's north and continue to launch attacks in Kunduz, located on the border to Tajikistan.

The Afghan army has been partially effective in routing the militants, especially after international forces left the country at the end of last year.

mg/kms (Reuters, AP)