The surprise announcement of the death of longtime Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, reportedly in April 2013, brings the role of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to the forefront again. ADVERTISING The surprise announcement of the death of longtime Taliban leader
The surprise announcement of the death of longtime Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, reportedly in April 2013, brings the role of U.S. troops in Afghanistan to the forefront again.
It’s hard to know what impact the news will have, if any, on the Islamic fundamentalist political movement. The one-eyed religious, military and political leader had the reputation of being a unifying force within the Taliban. He, like Osama bin Laden, sheltered in Pakistan, with Pakistani knowledge.
If U.S. intelligence knew where he was, or even if he still were alive, the Obama administration never said so publicly. Eliminating him would not have been as big a coup as killing bin Laden, but it would have been at least a propaganda victory.
Not knowing he was dead could be seen as another U.S. intelligence failure.
Based on this news, diplomatic and military analysts will be closely watching for any change in the Taliban’s war-fighting ability and its willingness to negotiate with other Afghan elements, including the government of President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani.
The Taliban are doing well in their seasonal military campaign, having recently taken three northern provinces from government forces trained, but no longer bolstered, by U.S. personnel.
The United States now has less than 10,000 troops in Afghanistan. It will be interesting to see if the organization’s new leadership will redouble its military effort.
Prior to the announcement of Mullah Omar’s death, the Taliban was showing some interest in negotiations to bring the fighting to an end. At one point, the Pakistanis were going to host talks. At another point, the Chinese announced talks slated for this summer.
It is even possible the Taliban released the news of Mullah Omar’s demise in order to provide an excuse not to talk and to leave the action to the battlefield.
In the meantime, developments in Afghanistan remain a moving picture, with little U.S. capacity to determine their outcome. That is a strong reason for President Barack Obama to prove his claim that America’s war there is finished, and bring the U.S. troops home.
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
