New York, Oct.12 Even after eight years of intense battle in Afghanistan, the US led allied forces have neither been able to counter the Taliban or restrict them to a smaller region in that country, rather the insurgents, led by Mullah Omar, have made remarkable progress over the last six months.

The amazing success with which the one-eyed Taliban chief Mullah Omar has managed to regroup the banned organization after initial set backs, has raised questions whether the Taliban's strategy is capable enough of thwarting the US campaign, or whether it was receiving strategic support from Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).

"This is an amazing story. He's a (Omar) semiliterate individual who has met with no more than a handful of non-Muslims in his entire life. And he's staged one of the most remarkable military comebacks in modern history," The New York Times quoted former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) official Bruce Riedel, as saying.

According to the newspaper, US officials are weighing the significance of this comeback.

"Is Mullah Omar the brains behind shrewd shifts of Taliban tactics and propaganda in recent years, or does he have help from Pakistani intelligence?" they question.

Omar remains a mystery for America even after years of intense search. He has successfully eluded the international forces in Afghanistan resulting in more 'mythmaking' by his followers and 'guesswork' by the world's intelligence agencies, the newspaper said. (ANI)