The whereabouts of Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar are still unknown, amid conflicting reports of his possible capture or escape, a spokesman for the US central command that runs the Afghan campaign said Saturday. “There's a lot of reports coming out of the area – the area is still very confused,” Lieutenant Colonel Martin Compton told AFP.
“We have seen reports saying he's captured, other reports saying that he has escaped. The indications we have right now don't support any of those,” Compton added. Omar's whereabouts have been a mystery since the Taliban withdrew Friday from their last stronghold in Afghanistan, the southern city of Kandahar.
One Taliban official said in Pakistan on condition of anonymity that Omar was able to escape Kandahar, the Islamic militia's spiritual capital, but claimed not to know the leader's current location. The United States wants the reclusive Omar brought to justice for harbouring top terror suspect Osama bin Laden, whom Washington believes was behind the September 11 attacks on US targets.
Bureau Report