The Taliban on Sunday found out the very last resting region of the motion’s founder, Mullah Omar, whose loss of life and burial they stored mystery for years. Rumours surrounding Omar’s fitness and whereabouts abounded after the Taliban have been kicked out of energy in 2001 with the aid of using a US-led invasion, and that they simplest admitted in April 2015 that he had died years in advance. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid instructed AFP Sunday that senior leaders of the motion attended a rite at his gravesite in advance withinside the day close to Omarzo, in Suri district of Zabul province.
The Taliban again to strength in August remaining 12 months, routing authorities forces because the US-led navy that propped up the regime ended a 20-12 months occupation. “Since loads of enemies had been round and the u . s . become occupied, to keep away from harm to the tomb it become stored secret,” Mujahid said. “Only the near own circle of relatives participants had been aware about the place,” he added. Pictures launched with the aid of using officers confirmed Taliban leaders collected round a easy white brick tomb, protected with what seems to be gravel and enclosed in a inexperienced metallic cage. “Now the choice has been made… there aren’t anyt any troubles for the human beings to go to the tomb,” Mujahid said. Omar, who become elderly round fifty five while he died, based the Taliban in 1993 as an antidote to the internecine civil conflict that erupted following the decade-lengthy Soviet occupation. Under his management the Taliban added an exceedingly austere model of Islamic rule, barring girls from public existence and introducing harsh public punishments — such as executions and floggings.
– Massoud tomb reported vandalised –
Omar’s rite comes an afternoon after provincial Taliban officers denied reviews that the Panjshir Valley tomb of resistance hero Ahmad Shah Massoud have been vandalised, an act Mujahid stated could be “punished” if true. Massoud has a combined legacy withinside the us of a, in which he’s hailed through regular Afghans for main the resistance towards the Soviet occupation, however loathed through the Taliban he additionally fought till his 2001 assassination through Al-Qaeda. His tomb is in an enforcing granite and marble mausoleum overlooking the picturesque Panjshir Valley, and protected through Taliban combatants on account that their takeover of the us of a in August final year. Local citizens stated a newly arrived contingent of combatants smashed the tombstone, and video of the desecrated grave — which couldn’t be verified — turned into posted through neighborhood media and circulating broadly on social channels. “It took place while the brand new forces entered Panjshir. The new forces from Helmand and Kandahar destroyed the tombstone of the country wide hero,” one resident advised AFP. Nasrullah Malakzada, head of facts and tradition of Panjshir, province, denied the tomb have been broken and issued a video purporting to expose it intact. The clip, however, pointedly did now no longer show the complete structure — specially the element visible broken withinside the unique video. Malakzada refused requests through newshounds to go to or picture the tomb for themselves. Mujahid advised newshounds that no person had the proper to insult the dead. “Previously we had punished individuals who devoted such acts,” he stated, adding “this can be investigated as nicely and essential movement may be taken”.