Planned peace talks were canceled between the Afghan government and the Taliban, which on Thursday confirmed the death of its founder and named a successor, marking a historic transition of power for the Islamist movement.
The group, which sheltered Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda before the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and has since led a bloody insurgency against American and allied troops in Afghanistan, said Mullah Mohammad Omar had actually died “a while ago” from an unspecified illness.
