Berlin - King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has offered political asylum to Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, 49, German news magazine Der Spiegel reported Saturday, quoting government sources in Kabul. The report said the approach was made at the request of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and outgoing US president George W Bush.
Karzai hoped the offer would speed up plans for a reconciliation process in the landlocked Asian nation and had promised the Taliban leader safe passage if he decided to return to Afghanistan, Der Spiegel said.
Terrorism experts believe Mullah Omar is hiding in the Pakistan city of Quetta, possibly with the help of the country's Inter- Services Intelligence agency, the report added.
