Akhtar Mohammad Osmani

{{short description|Taliban leader}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2023}}

Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Osmani or Usmani (died 19 December 2006){{cite news |title= Bin Laden's "close associate" killed in southern Afghanistan |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061223/wl_sthasia_afp/afghanistanunresttaliban |publisher= Yahoo! News|date= 2006-12-23|accessdate=2006-12-28}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} was a senior leader of the Taliban, treasurer for the organization,{{cite news|first=Michael |last=Smith |title=Taliban leader 'killed' after RAF tracks phone |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-2517947,00.html |publisher=The Sunday Times |date=2006-12-24 |access-date=2006-12-28 |location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061227024519/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0%2C%2C2087-2517947%2C00.html |archive-date=27 December 2006 |url-status=dead }} and close associate of Osama bin Laden and Mohammed Omar. He was involved in the demolition of the Buddhas of Bamyan{{cite news|title=Bin Laden associate killed, U.S. says |url=https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061223/ap_on_re_as/afghanistan |publisher=Yahoo! News |date=2006-12-23 |accessdate=2006-12-23 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230005429/http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061223/ap_on_re_as/afghanistan |archivedate=2006-12-30 |url-status=dead }} and was considered a potential successor to Mullah Omar.Grey, Stephen. [https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5436787 Key Taliban Leaders in Afghanistan Eliminated], ABC News, 24 July 2008. Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan, once referred to him as one of the four most dangerous Taliban members still in Afghanistan.{{cite web| url = http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/afghan/articles/20060428.aspx| title = Afghanistan: The Broadening Border War| accessdate = 2006-12-28| date = 2006-04-28| publisher = StrategyWorld.com| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070103201622/http://www.strategypage.com/qnd/afghan/articles/20060428.aspx| archivedate= 3 January 2007 | url-status= live}}

Shortly after the 11 September attacks, CIA officer Robert Grenier met him to offer the Taliban the opportunity to give up Osama bin Laden.

In December 2006, as he was riding in a four-wheel drive vehicle in Helmand Province, Osmani was killed by a smart bomb in a United States Air Force airstrike. He had been tracked down by a Royal Air Force airplane which monitored his satellite phone. Spokesmen of the Taliban initially denied his death{{cite news|title=U.S.: Top bin Laden associate killed |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/12/23/afghan.osmani/index.html |publisher=CNN.com |date=2006-12-23 |access-date=2006-12-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061225021304/http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/12/23/afghan.osmani/index.html |archive-date=2006-12-25 |url-status=dead }} and claimed that the bomb had instead killed a Taliban leader called Abdul Zahir.{{cite news|url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C12%5C25%5Cstory_25-12-2006_pg7_29 |title=Forensic analysis confirms identity of slain Taliban leader |publisher=Daily Times (Pakistan) |date=25 December 2006 |accessdate=2008-02-03 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606233640/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C12%5C25%5Cstory_25-12-2006_pg7_29 |archivedate=2011-06-06 }} However, several days later other top Taliban officials confirmed his death.{{cite news | title = Taliban official admits U.S. strike killed military chief | url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/taliban-official-admits-u-s-strike-killed-military-chief-report-1.617477 | publisher = Canadian Broadcasting Corporation | date = 2006-12-27 | accessdate = 2006-12-27| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20070103092437/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/taliban-official-admits-u-s-strike-killed-military-chief-report-1.617477| archivedate= 3 January 2007 | url-status= live}}