Taliban dig up Toyota Corolla used by its founder to evade US forces after 9/11

A team of workers dug up the Toyota Corolla after Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar abandoned it there as he escaped to capture by US forces after 9/11

Taliban officials excavate the site in Afghanistan's Zabul province (

Image: Taliban media officials/AFP via)

A white Toyota used by the Taliban founder to evade capture was found buried in a deep sand pit where it remained for more than two decades.

Influential official Anas Haqqani - who is the brother of the current interior minister - yesterday shared images of smiling workers digging up the engine from the desert yesterday.

Haqqani tweeted: "A man traveled in this car which took part in the most incredible events in history.

"He relied on Almighty God, he commanded [the Taliban forces] in an unequal war against dozens of invading countries, and won.

"This memorial...should be kept in the country's national museum."

It is understood that Mullah Mohammad Omar - who founded the Islamist movement in 1994 and became its leader until his death in 2001 - abandoned the car after being driven out of Kandahar.

The cleric fled the southern city as US-backed forces drove out the Taliban in Kabul.

Despite the $10 million bounty on his head and the weight of the US military pursuing him, he evaded capture until his death in 2013.

He fled in the car as the United States bombed Kabul to oust Taliban leaders in 2001 (

Picture:

Taliban/AFP media officials via)