The Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar was announced dead on Wednesday.

The Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar was announced dead on Wednesday, an Afghan government official confirmed to Anadolu news agency.

Earlier in the day, local media reported the death of Mullah Omar, who had the loyalty of both Afghan and Pakistani Taliban groups.

The senior Afghan official, who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity, said that Pakistan had informed the Afghan government about the death.

"He reportedly died two years ago in Pakistan due to some serious illness," he said.

The Afghan government is expected to release a statement on the issue but Taliban sources were not available to comment about the reports.

The reported death comes as Afghan and Taliban representatives are scheduled to hold a second round of peace talks on Friday.

Only two weeks ago, the Taliban released an Eid message attributed to Mullah Omar calling on Taliban fighters to back the peace talks.