Taliban Leader Warns Afghanistan Against U.S. Security Deal

The Afghan Taliban's supreme leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar, is said to be living in Pakistan.

The reclusive leader of the Afghan Taliban has warned that his militia will keep fighting if Kabul signs a key security deal with the United States.

Mullah Mohammad Omar warned on October 14 that a security agreement on the continued U.S. military presence in Afghanistan beyond 2014 will justify the continuation of the war and "bring grave consequences."

The message was distributed in an e-mail to the media on the eve on the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reached preliminary agreement on the bilateral deal, but key issues -- such as immunity for U.S. troops -- remain unresolved.

Karzai said he would seek advice from a loya jirga, an assembly of tribal elders, before deciding on the deal.

Based on reporting by AFP, dpa, and RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan