Afghanistan: Taliban leader Mullah Omar died 2 years ago

The government of Afghanistan has stated that the Taliban’s leader, Mullah Omar, died two years ago in a hospital in Pakistan. Their source, a former Taliban member speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Mullah Omar died of tuberculosis and was buried near the border on the Afghanistan side. On July 15, the Taliban or a faction of the group released a statement attributed to Mullah Omar, which was in favor of the peace process. It is widely believed that the Taliban has now split into several factions, some of which are in favor of peace talks, while others are not. An anonymous U.S. diplomat said that his death, if true, would make it more difficult to negotiate with the Taliban.