Mullah Mansour had only been the Taliban leader since July of past year, a position he earned when his predecessor Mullah Omar-the infamous one-eyed leader who banned dancing and TV-was confirmed dead.
Advertisement
Obama also said Mansour’s death was an “important milestone” in the years-long effort to bring peace to Afghanistan.
Mansour had secretly taken control of the Taliban after former leader Mullah Omar died mysteriously at a hospital in Karachi in April 2013, running the organization in his name.
“We will continue taking action against extremist networks that target the United States”.
His death, which was later confirmed by a senior Taliban commander, could have implications for stalled peace negotiations between the Taliban and the Afghan government.
The US envoy David Hale was called in by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi to express concern over the drone strike on Pakistani territory on Saturday, a statement released by Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.
“The leadership is being very careful because one wrong step could divide the group into many parties like former mujahideen”, one Taliban official from the eastern province of Nangarhar said, referring to guerrilla leaders who fought the Soviets in the 1980s before splitting into warring factions.
Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in a US drone strike because he represented a “specific imminent threat” to USA and coalition forces in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said Monday.
A second diplomat said a number of Taliban faction leaders, including Mansour’s rival Mullah Mohammad Rasool – believed to be held by Pakistani authorities – had been traveling to Iran over the past year, receiving some support in weapons and finance. Tweeted Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistans chief executive on May 22, #Taliban leader #AkhtarMansoor was killed in a drone strike in Quetta, #Pakistan at04:30 pmyesterday. This act was significant at a time when the Taliban are engaged in an offensive, gaining ground on the battlefield in Afghanistan.
Mansour was killed on Saturday near the town of Ahmad Lal, in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, when missiles fired from a drone struck the auto he was travelling in.
Advertisement
Speaking at a news conference following his meeting with Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang, Obama said the fatal attack on Mansour did not represent a change in U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan, which is to help train Afghan forces.
