News Analysis: Mullah Omar's death may split Taliban's ranks

The death of Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar may divide the Taliban ranks and will cause a split among the militant group's leadership, local analysts suggested.

On Wednesday, the Afghan government announced that reclusive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar had mysteriously died in the summer of 2013, while some Afghans were of the view that his death was kept secret by the Taliban leadership to avoid Taliban foot soldiers'demoralization. "The government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, based on credible information, confirms that Mullah Mohammad Omar, leader of the Taliban, died in April 2013 in Pakistan," the Afghan Presidential Palace said in a statement. "With no doubt, the Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar had died two years ago but his death's announcement had not been released due to some reasons," political analyst Jawid Kohistani told Xinhua in an interview on Thursday. "Omar's demise would certainly lead to disputes among the Taliban leadership. Mullah Omar had received his legitimacy from a religious scholars' meeting or council (in the summer of 1996, supporters of Omar gave him the title of Amir al-Muminin or Commander of the Faithful)," said Kohistani. "After his death, his successor will also need sentence from a council, but at this time, it is not possible for the Taliban to hold such a council for the selection of a new leader. So the Taliban, now, has two options they should hold a council to find a new face or be demolished," Kohistani said.

In announcing Omar's death, the Afghan government said that it believes the "grounds for the Afghan peace talks are more paved now than before, and thus (it) calls on all armed opposition groups to seize the opportunity and join the peace process," the Afghan president office's statement noted.

Following the news release of the death of Omar, the White House deputy press secretary Eric Schultz said on Wednesday that he could not confirm the death but the administration believes the reports were"credible."

Omar has not been seen since the collapse of his regime by the U.S.-led military invasion in 2001. The U.S. government even offered a reward of up to 10 million U.S. dollars for information leading to Omar's capture.

Omar's date of birth and the exact place of birth are uncertain, but according to most sources, he was born sometime between 1955 and 1962, possibly in Nodeh, a village in Panjwai district of southern Kandahar province.

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

The Afghan Taliban on Thursday confirmed the death of their leader Omar, one day after the Afghan government announced his demise.

"Leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the name of the ousted Taliban regime) and the family of late Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid...today announced that Amir al-Muminin (Commander of the Faithful) Mullah Mohammad Omar Mujahid has passed away due to illness," the Taliban statement said. "The latest announcement on Omar's death may cause fragmentation among the Taliban fighters. And that it would further increase the Taliban-led militancy against the Afghan government forces," Mohammadullah Babrak, another respected political analyst, told Tolo News, a local publication on Thursday.

There is no suitable person currently among the Taliban leadership that could replace Mullah Mohammad Omar with the political weight he carried, as many of the Taliban members had obeyed Omar's orders over the past years, a former U.S. envoy to Afghanistan Zulmai Khalilzad was quoted by local media as saying earlier on Thursday.

While Khalilzad said it would be difficult for the Taliban to find a new face to lead the militant group, analyst Babrak said that the elder son of Omar and the deputy Taliban Leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor might be the two figures who could replace Mullah Omar. "Obviously, if the Taliban confirm the demise of their leader, a disagreement will appear between the high-ranking Taliban leaders to find a person to replace him but I think the son of Omar and deputy Taliban Leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor might be the two figures who can replace him," Babrak said.

He also urged the Afghan government to avail from the opportunity and further boost its efforts for the negotiations on the peace talks with the Taliban members. "I think, Omar's death is an opportunity for the government at this point in time when the fighting between Taliban and security forces is gathering momentum. It is on the government to take advantage. When two sides are at war and the leader of one side loses his life the other side will defiantly take advance. I think it is the time for the Taliban to join the negotiations or being demolished,"Kohistani said.

The comments came amid reports that the second rounds of peace talks between Taliban representatives and the Afghanistan government have been postponed.

The first round of face-to-face talks between the two sides was held in Pakistan earlier this month and the second round was expected to be held probably in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Friday, July 31.

The postponement was requested by the Taliban leadership, citing the uncertainty caused by Omar's death as the reason, said a press release issued in Islamabad by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry on Thursday afternoon.

"Pakistan and other friendly countries of Afghanistan hope that the Taliban leadership will stay engaged in the process of peace talks in order to promote a lasting peace in Afghanistan," said the press release.

However, the Taliban issued a statement regarding the alleged peace talks on Thursday morning, saying only the outfit's political office which is located in the Gulf state of Qatar has the mandate to talk and that Taliban do not know about any negotiations to take place in coming days. "The Islamic Emirate has handed all agency powers in this regard to its Political Office and they are not aware of any such process. The Islamic Emirate, in accordance with its policy, has established a specific organ responsible for handling all its political affairs. We have repeatedly clarified this matter before and made clear the stance of the Islamic Emirate," the Taliban statement noted. "The Taliban fighters received verdicts in the past from Omar. After his death, the Taliban will lose its legitimacy in fighting against the government. So, I think, the current war will be reduced, and eventually break down. At this stage the government and the Taliban must show initiative and use this opportunity to bring about peace in the country," Kohistani noted. "Many Kabul residents have welcomed the death of Omar. He had been caught red-handed. His supporters have killed many innocent Afghan people. I hope his death will bring an end to the current fighting in Afghanistan. We call on the Taliban foot soldiers to give up fighting and join the peace and reconciliation process," Kabul resident Farukh Shah, 33, told Xinhua on Thursday. Endi