Reports emerged earlier this week that long-time Taliban leader Mullah Omar had actually died two years ago of Tuberculosis. As the snarky Twitter reaction showed, this isn't the first time the he's been reported dead. So even as Afghanistan's spy service confirmed the report, people were a little skeptical.
But on Friday the Afghan Taliban released their own statement confirming the news, too. Here's the main points.
1. The group released this statement to announce Omar's death, but also to appoint a new leader. This new leader, as the statement announces, is Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor, a militant close to Omar's operations, and he's just as mysterious. According to what one Taliban figure told MSNBC, Mansoor is known as a quiet and calm man, but the only image thus far is a grainy photo of a bearded man in a black turban, purportedly revealed by an senior Taliban official on the condition of anonymity to MSNBC. The news agency, however, has not been able to independently verify the image.
2. This new leader is the group's former deputy head of the 'Islamic Emirate.' The fact that the Taliban's new leader has been part of the organization for a long time is not surprising, but it does raise questions about the level of authority he had even before Omar's death was announced this week. After all, the former leader has apparently been dead for over two years now, suggesting Mansoor could have been running operations since then.
3. The date and specific circumstances of Omar's death are left out of the Taliban's statement. In the English version of the group's words, there is no mention of when the militant actually died. There are very few details surrounding the death in general. The statement starts off addressing the news: "As you know... the leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, His Excellency Amir-ul-Momineen Mullah Mohammad Umar Mujahid (may mercy be upon him) has passed away from this world due to the illness he was suffering from." After that, Omar is left out almost entirely.
There's still a lot of media confusion surrounding the last couple of days with the Taliban, and this statement doesn't do much to change that. Official acknowledgement of Omar's death comes after years of rumor that he had already died.
Read a version of the English statement below.
"Our Muslim Brothers!
As you know that the founder and leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, His Excellency Amir-ul-Momineen Mullah Mohammad Umar Mujahid (may mercy be upon him) has passed away from this world due to the illness he was suffering from.
After his passing away, the leading council of the Islamic Emirate, authentic scholars and venerable people of the country embarked on selecting the new leadership. Members of the leading council of the Islamic Emirate, saints and scholars, all of them discerning and influential people, in the wake of a prolonged discussion, decided in a meeting to appoint the intimate and trusted associate of Mullah Mohammad Umar Mujahid and the former deputy head of the Islamic Emirate, Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor, as the new leader of the Islamic Emirate.
Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor, who was considered a reliable and suitable person for shouldering heavy tasks even in the lifetime of late Mullah Mohammad Umar Mujahid (may mercy be upon him) and had been administrating the Islamic Emirate since long therefore, the leading council of the Islamic Emirate and authentic scholars judged him a suitable and talented personality for the leadership of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and appointed him as their legalized leader.
In this meeting of leadership appointment, scholars, saints and dignitaries of the Islamic Emirate pledged their allegiance with Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor as Amir-ul-Momineen in accordance with the principal of listening and obedience. He, as a legal Amir, pledged his commitment to the Sharia Law too.
Similarly, after due consultation and approval in this meeting, each one, the former judiciary chief of the Islamic Emirate, religious scholar, Moulavi Haibatullah Akhunzada and the son of the renowned Jihadi and scholarly figure Moulavi Jalauddin Haqqani (may Allah safeguard him), a well-known Jihadi commander Mullah Sirajuddin Haqqani, as the deputy heads of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
The leading council of the Islamic Emirate pray to Almighty Allah to bestow this new newly appointed leadership with steadfastness, honesty and allegiance to the Divine Sharia and invites the Muslim Nation, particularly, all Mujahidin of the Islamic Emirate, to obey him as their legal Amir (head).
The Leading Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
14th Shawal-ul-Mukarram 1436 A.H. (lunar)
8th Leo 1394 A.H. (solar)
30th July 2015 A.D"
