Afghan TV claims Mullah Omar killed, Taliban deny

A senior Pakistani security official said yesterday he could not confirm a media report that Taliban leader Mullah Omar had been killed. "I am making queries," the official said, requesting anonymity.

"I can't confirm it."

On Monday, Afghanistan's privately owned TOLO television reported Omar had been killed in Pakistan, while on the way from Quetta to North Waziristan. There was no immediate comment from the Taliban.

The Taliban in Afghanistan rejected reports that Omar had been killed in Pakistan, saying he is alive and in Afghanistan. "He is in Afghanistan safe and sound," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location.

The Dawn