Afghan Taliban and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah Sundayconfirmed death of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour’s death
Earlier, a US official claimed that the Taliban leader is likely killed” on Saturday in a US drone strike in a remote area of Pakistan along the Afghan border.
The airstrike, authorized by President Barack Obama, also killed a second adult male combatant as the two traveled in a vehicle southwest of the town of Ahmad Wal, but no civilians were killed, the official said under condition of anonymity.
“Mansour was the target and was likely killed,” in the strikes, which occurred around 6:00 am (1000 GMT) and were carried out by multiple unmanned aircraft operated by US Special Operations Forces, the official said.
Pentagon spokesperson Peter Cook said in a statement that Mansour “has been the leader of the Taliban and actively involved with planning attacks against facilities in Kabul and across Afghanistan, presenting a threat to Afghan civilians and security forces, our personnel, and Coalition partners.”
Mansour was appointed the head of the Taliban in July 2015 following the revelation that the group’s founder Mullah Omar had been dead for two years.