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The official, who
declined to be named because he was not authorized to give
statements to the press, did not provide further details.
The elusive leader of the hardline Islamist movement, which
ruled Afghanistan in the late 1990s until it was toppled by a
U.S.-led offensive in 2001, has not been seen in public for
years, leading to speculation he has been dead for some time.
The Taliban has been fighting an insurgency against the
Western-backed government in Kabul since its ouster, killing
thousands of civilians and security personnel and making
significant territorial gains in recent months.
Tentative peace talks have begun aimed at ending the war, with
the Taliban split between those who support dialogue and others
who want to continue to fight for power.
(Reporting by Jessica Donati; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
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