Taliban excavate car used by founder Mullah Omar in miracle getaway from US

The car used by the founder of the Taliban to escape US forces in 2001 has been excavated in Afghanistan, according to senior figures in the movement who claim it is still in excellent condition.

Photographs shared online showed labourers using shovels to unearth a battered Toyota Corolla said to have been used by Mullah Mohammad Omar.

Mullah Omar is said to have used the car to flee the Taliban capital of Kandahar in the dying days of his regime, as he pulled off a remarkable disappearing act.

The one-eyed fugitive avoided American troops and spies for the rest of his life, despite being one of the most wanted men in the world.

Taliban figures on Tuesday night called for the estate car to be preserved in the Afghan National Museum because of its historical significance.

Anas Haqqani, a senior Taliban negotiator and member of the prominent Haqqani faction, said: “A person travelled in this car, who recorded the most amazing events in history.

“He relied on God, led an unequal war against dozens of invading countries and won.”

The car was said to have carried Mullah Omar from Kandahar to Zabul province as US-backed Afghan militias and air strikes closed in on the remains of his emirate.

A Taliban source told The Telegraph the Toyota was in good condition despite its burial. The source said: “Toyotas are reliable and way better than the big American cars such as Chevrolet and others.”

During their long hunt for Mullah Omar, both the CIA and Afghan intelligence agencies believed he had fled across the border to Pakistan with much of the Taliban leadership.

But research by his biographer, Bette Dam, in 2019 found he had lived out his life in Zabul, in a hideaway under the noses of American troops. The Taliban at the time endorsed the research and released photographs of what they said was his hiding place until his death in 2013.

Ms Dam said Mullah Omar had fled Kandahar in a white Toyota, which are plentiful in Afghanistan as both private cars and taxis. She said she had not heard of the car being hidden or buried.

“It could well be that they hid the car at that time, but I am not sure,” she told The Telegraph.

Mullah Omar first hid in the provincial capital, Qalat, and his home was even searched by US special forces troops, but they did not find his hiding place.

When America built a large military base near the house, he moved to a more remote district called Shinkay, where his former bodyguard, Jabbar Omari, looked after him.

Mr Omari was captured after Mullah Omar’s death. A former Afghan intelligence official who questioned Mr Omari said the prisoner had told interrogators that the pair had travelled from Kandahar to Qalat in a Toyota that had broken down along the way, but had not revealed where the car was.

Mullah Omar was said to have had little contact with the outside world, only occasionally giving messages and audio recordings to a courier who would take them to senior Taliban figures.

He apparently had little day-to-day involvement in the movement, but remained a spiritual figurehead.

The insurgent movement continued to release statements in his name until it finally admitted he was dead in 2015.

At the time his death was disclosed, Afghanistan’s intelligence agency said he had died in Karachi.