Mullah Omar 'dead': what next for the Taliban and Afghanistan?

Confirmation of leader's death threatens peace process, as a power struggle intensifies within the Taliban

Afghanistan fighters
Taliban fighters in the Wardak province of Afghanistan
(Image credit: STR/Getty)

The Afghan government has confirmed reports that Taliban leader Mullah Omar died two years ago, news that is likely to threaten fragile peace talks as well as the future of the terrorist group.

Rumours of Omar's death have circulated for years, but a White House spokesperson said the US government believed that the latest report was "credible".

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