As the U.S. is relying on the Taliban to keep Afghanistan from being a haven for terrorists in the wake of an agreement between the two parties, the Taliban lauds Mullah Omar’s defense of Osama bin Laden after Al Qaeda’s attack on the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001.
A main goal of “Operation Omari” will be “clearing the remaining areas from enemy control and presence,” according to the Taliban.
Mullah Manan was named the head of the Taliban’s Preaching and Guidance Commission, while Mullah Yacoub is a member of the Quetta Shura and commands military operations in 15 provinces. Omar’s kin previously opposed the Taliban’s new leadership.
Mullah Manan and Mullah Yacoub’s pledge to Afghan Taliban emir Akhtar Mohammad Mansour closes a major rift that existed after Omar’s death was announced on July 31.
In an interview published on the Taliban’s official English-language website, Zabihullah Mujahid admits that Mullah Omar’s family and other senior Taliban officials hid Omar’s death. The text of the interview implies that Omar died in 2013.
The Al Nusrah Front, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb commemorate Mullah Omar’s jihadist career in a joint statement. The al Qaeda branches highlight Omar’s decision to harbor Osama bin Laden, even as the international community demanded that the Taliban turn him over.
On August 1, Ahrar al Sham released a statement honoring Mullah Omar, the Taliban’s first leader. The statement is further evidence that Ahrar al Sham is an extremist organization.
The Taliban’s spokesman has confirmed that Mullah Omar, the so-called “Emir of the Faithful,” is dead.
The Taliban has released a new statement attributed to Mullah Omar saying that his men have been ordered to “forcefully prevent” anyone from sowing dissent in the jihadists’ ranks in Afghanistan. Although the statement doesn’t mention the Islamic State or its followers by name, the Taliban clearly has Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s organization in mind.
“Mullah Mohammad Umar ‘Mujahid’ is still the leader in the present hierarchy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” the Taliban stated in a hagiography of its emir.
A Twitter user known as “Shaybat al Hukama” tweeted, and then quickly deleted, his explanation of al Qaeda’s relationship with the Taliban. Al Hukama appears to be well-connected to al Qaeda media operatives and leaders.
Mullah Omar discusses the Taliban’s governance efforts at length in a message commemorating the end of Ramadan.
In the first edition of its new online newsletter, Al Nafir, al Qaeda renews its oath of allegiance to Taliban leader Mullah Omar. The move is likely a response to the Islamic State’s claim that it rules over a caliphate with its leader, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, serving as the new caliph. Last week, al Qaeda released a video of Osama bin Laden discussing his oath of allegiance to Mullah Omar.
In addition to a statement from Mullah Omar, the Taliban has posted pictures of the Taliban commanders released from Guantanamo. The pictures show the jihadist leaders being greeted by their supporters and families in Qatar.
Shabaab’s statement praises Hakeemullah Mehsud, who was recently killed in a US drone strike, and offers condolences to Mullah Omar and Ayman al Zawahiri.
In an Eid al-Fitr statement, the Afghan Taliban leader attempts to softly spin the Islamic Emirate’s aims.
The latest Taliban statement on a forthcoming Islamic conference in Kabul warns clerics not to participate, and makes clear once again that the Taliban have no intention of reconciling with the Afghan government.
The Taliban created the “Call and Guidance, Luring and Integration” department to encourage defections by Afghan forces and government officials.
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan issued a formal denial of a letter calling for a ceasefire that was purportedly signed by Mullah Omar. Instead, the Taliban vowed to “intensify its operations against the Americans, their allies and their despicable internal supporters and [to] continue unabatedly with its sacred Jihad.”
A statement announcing Omar’s death was placed on Voice of Jihad, while texts were sent from the cell phones of spokesmen Mujahid and Yousuf.
Afghan intelligence believes Omar was moved from Quetta to North Waziristan, but would not confirm the Taliban supremo was killed.
At a meeting that included representatives of the Pakistani government and the ISI, Omar “told attendees that they should not cooperate with the new infidel government (in Afghanistan) and should keep attacking coalition forces.”
Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Amir al Mumineen (“commander of the faithful”) of the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban. The Taliban are categorically denying the recent report that Mullah Mohammed Omar, the leader of the Taliban, was hospitalized for a heart condition. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s “spokesman,” calls the rumor a product of “the American State Department […]
Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Amir al Mumineen (“the commander of the faithful”) of the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban. Below is the full text of Taliban leader Mullah Omar’s statement. The Voice of Jihad website often switches URLs after being hacked or taken offline, so the statement is republished below for when this eventually happens. To […]
The Taliban’s top leader called reports of negotiation “propaganda” and urged the Taliban to continue the fight. Omar said the Taliban want to bleed the US as the mujahedeen did to the Soviets in the 1980s.
Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Amir al Mumineen (“the commander of the faithful”) of the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban. While French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner’s statement that Mullah Omar is sheltering in Pakistan is no great revelation, kudos to him for stating the painfully obvious. From AFP via Dawn: “It’s not a secret for anyone, everyone […]
Mullah Omar has ordered his Taliban forces to capture or kill Afghan civilians, including women, who cooperate with Coalition forces. Omar’s order directly contradicts the Taliban’s 2009 Code of Conduct, which called for limiting civilian casualties.
Abdul Hai Motma’in, the former chief of the Taliban’s Culture and Information department, is said to have been captured in Ghazni province. The Taliban denied the report, and US officials would not confirm it.
The UK’s Sunday Times threw this one out there this weekend: The supreme leader of the Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar, has indicated that he and his followers may be willing to hold peace talks with western politicians. In an interview with The Sunday Times, two of the movement’s senior Islamic scholars have relayed a message […]
Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Amir al Mumineen (“the commander of the faithful”) of the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban. The Financial Times shares these highlights about one of the elders US commanders in Arghandab are trying to bring on side as part of their work to bring Afghans on side: Once locked up in Guantánamo Bay […]