Reports of Taliban Leader Mullah Omar’s Death Credible - White House

Washington believes the reports claiming the leader of the Taliban wing in Afghanistan, Mullah Omar, was dead are trustworthy, White House spokesperson Eric Schultz said in a briefing on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Schultz stated during a briefing:

“We are aware of the reports of the death of Mullah Omar. Without commenting on the specifics of these reports, we do believe the reports of his death are credible.” 

The spokesperson added that the intelligence community is looking at these reports and continues to assess the circumstances surrounding Omar’s death.

The Afghan Presidential Administration has also confirmed in a statement on Wednesday that Omar died in Pakistan in April 2013.

However, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi denied the claims of Omar’s death in an interview to Sky News, and said he had information that "Mullah Omar is still alive and leading the movement."

The Taliban is reportedly due to issue an official statement on Omar’s alleged death soon, according to the BBC.

Omar’s alliance with al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden prompted a US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington.

Omar’s death was first reported in 2011, the same year that Bin Laden was killed in a US raid in Pakistan.

Formed in the 1990s, the Taliban seeks to enforce Sharia law in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The group is known for its numerous terrorist attacks against official personnel and civilians in both countries.