1st LD Writethru: Afghan official confirms death of Taliban leader Omar

The Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) spokesman on Wednesday confirmed the death of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, saying that Omar died in summer 2013 but his death was kept secret to avoid Taliban foot soldiers' demoralization.

"Based on credible information, the NDS has confirmed that Taliban leader Omar has died in a mysterious way in a hospital in Pakistan's Karachi two year and four months ago," spokesman Hassib Seddiqi told Xinhua.

However, the spokesman of the NDS, the country's intelligence agency, said that details about the Omar's death will be released to the media when appropriate.

The comments came amid peace talks between Taliban representatives and Afghan government officials.

The first round of talks between the two sides was held in Pakistan earlier this month and the second round is expected to be held within days, probably in Islamabad.

A wanted man by the United States, the one-eyed Omar who has escaped the biggest Washington military manhunt in the region over the past 14 years has several times been reported dead, but no one has seen his coffin.

The Taliban spokesmen were not immediately available to make comments on the claim.

Mullah Omar, who established Taliban Movement in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province in 1994 and announced his Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan after capturing Kabul in 1996, has been leading a bloody insurgency since collapse of Taliban regime in 2001 to re-establish his fanatic Islamic Emirate in the war-torn central Asian country. Endi