White House says reports of Mullah Mohammad Omar’s death are credible

The White House said Wednesday that U.S. officials believe reports are true that Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has been dead for two years.

“We do believe the reports of his death are credible,” said White House deputy press secretary Eric Schultz.

Omar reportedly died in 2013 in Pakistan. Asked whether the lag in learning of his death showed poor intelligence cooperation between the U.S., Pakistan and Afghanistan, Mr. Schultz replied, “The intelligence community is looking at these reports and continues to assess the circumstances around his death.”