Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said, Mansour has been the leader of the Taliban and actively involved with planning attacks against different places across Afghanistan.
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A second male combatant accompanying Mansour in a vehicle is also likely to have been killed. Likewise, there was no collateral damage.
American officials on Saturday said Mansour was “likely killed” in the remote Pakistani town of Ahmad Wal in Balochistan province by multiple unmanned aircraft operated by United States special forces.
Mansour was officially appointed head of the Taliban last summer after the group acknowledged that Mullah Omar had died.
All in all, what are your thoughts on Mullah Akhtar Mansour and the USA strike against the Taliban?
“We heard about these baseless reports but this not first time”, the commander said.
It’s not clear who might assume leadership of the Taliban and whether the organization will solidify or fracture after Mansour’s death.
The Taliban, who announced the start of their annual spring offensive last month, have already stepped up their campaign against the Western-backed Kabul government for the season. The Taliban later released an audio message from him in which he denied he had been killed.
A US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the military operation, said the strike occurred around 6 a.m.
The purported killing comes despite Mullah Akhtar Mansour’s having recently offered to work with the United States in the gridlock that continues to persist as the despotic regime continues to gain ground and hold overriding sway in Afghanistan’s affairs.
If Mansour’s death is confirmed, his two newly named deputies – influential religious leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Sirajuddin Haqqani – could likely step up to fill the power vacuum.
While designated spokespeople for the Taliban remain silent about the fate of Mansoor, some officials requesting anonymity said their leader was not hit in the drone strike.
The strike was carried out by multiple unmanned aircraft operated by U.S. Special Operations forces.
Mansour formerly headed the leadership council of the Taliban and Islamic scholars, also known as the Quetta Shura, which is composed of longtime leaders who direct the Taliban’s operations from Pakistan’s Balochistan province, according to the Jamestown Foundation, a global research and analysis group.
He added that Pakistan wanted the Taliban to return to the negotiating table to end the long war in Afghanistan.
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Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah said Sunday the US had informed Kabul about the drone operation and that Mansoor “most likely” was dead, but added Afghan authorities are trying to ascertain more details. That would have been 3 p.m. on Saturday in Pakistan. The Taliban themselves confirmed his death later. This recently caused some within the movement, including Aga, to speculate that Mansour had intentionally concealed Mullah Omar’s death from the movement.
