KABUL — The Afghan government is investigating reports of the death of Taliban supremo Mullah Omar, a presidential spokesman said Wednesday, amid frenzied speculation about the rumored demise of the reclusive cleric. The insurgents have not officially confirmed the death of Mullah Omar, who has not been seen publicly since the 2001 US-led invasion of Afghanistan that toppled the Taliban government in Kabul.



Rumors of his ill-health and even death have regularly surfaced in the past. The latest reports come just two days before a second round of peace talks between insurgents and the Afghan government is scheduled.



The announcement from spokesman Sayed Zafar Hashemi came after unnamed government and militant sources told media, including AFP, that the one-eyed leader died two or three years ago.



"We can confirm that Mullah Omar died two years ago... in Pakistan due to an illness," a separate official in Afghanistan's national unity government told AFP.



"He was buried in Zabul province (in southern Afghanistan)," said the senior official, citing Afghan intelligence sources.



Hashemi told a press conference: "We have seen reports in the media regarding Mullah Omar’s death. We are investigating them... and will comment once the accuracy of these reports are confirmed."



If confirmed, Omar's death would mark a significant blow to an almost 14-year insurgency, which is riven by internal divisions and threatened by the rise of Daesh (the so-called IS) group in South Asia.



The Taliban in April published a descriptive biography of the "charismatic" supreme leader, in a surprise move apparently aimed at countering the creeping influence of Daesh group within their ranks.



The Taliban have reportedly seen defections to Daesh in recent months, with some insurgents expressing disaffection with the low-profile leader Omar.



The biography, posted on the Taliban's official website to commemorate Omar's apparent 19th year as supreme leader, described him as being actively involved in "jihadi activities" — trying to dispel speculation that he had died.



And earlier this month in a message released in Omar's name, the leader was quoted as hailing the peace talks as "legitimate".



The comments, the first reputedly made by Omar on the nascent dialogue, eased concerns at the time that the process lacked the leadership's backing. — Agencies