Associated Press
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Taliban supreme commander Mullah Mohammed Omar has agreed to leave his headquarters at Kandahar and turn over the southern Afghan city to two local Pashtun leaders, the Afghan Islamic Press said today.
The Pakistan-based agency said Omar agreed to leave the city and head for the mountains following discussions with “close friends and army commanders.”
Under the deal, control of the city will pass to Mullah Naqibullah and Haji Basher, two former commanders of Afghan resistance forces in the war against Soviet invaders who are not members of the Taliban.
Bashar is close to Yunus Khalis, a Pashtun leader who took over the northeastern city of Jalalabad this week. Pashtuns are Afghanistan’s largest ethnic group, and served as the backbone of the Taliban’s harsh five-year regime.
The agency said Omar agreed to leave within 24 hours.
Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
