President Obama has released a statement confirming the death of Taliban leader Akhtar Mohammad Mansur, following an airstrike Saturday along the Afghanistan and Pakistan border.
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“Taliban leader Akhtar Mansour was killed in a drone strike. his auto was attacked in Dahl Bandin”, Abdullah said in a post on Twitter, referring to a district in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province just over the border with Afghanistan.
“Mansur rejected efforts by the Afghan government to seriously engage in peace talks and end the violence that has taken the lives of countless innocent Afghan men, women and children”, Obama said.
‘Our hope and understanding is that in the wake of these new developments an Afghan-led peace process would result in bringing lasting peace and stability, ‘ he said.
NATO General Secretary said in a statement that under Mullah Mansurs leadership, the Taliban continued to conduct brutal attacks across Afghanistan, leading to the death and suffering of countless Afghan civilians and security forces, and posing a major daily threat to the forces of the USA and other NATO Allies and partners.
The US Congressman says that ISI and Pakistani military have certain elements who have been “willing” to work with terrorist outfits. “Today is a day for us to give thanks to all of the Americans who have served in Afghanistan for so many years with a selfless commitment to the security of our nation and a better future for the Afghan people”.
The raid was the first known United States assault on a top Afghan Taliban leader on Pakistani soil.
Afghan officials, who spoke on the condition that they not be named as they were not authorized to speak to media on the subject, said the drone strike took place in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, in the Ahmad Wal area.
“The competent authorities of the Islamic republic deny that this person on this date crossed Iran’s border and into Pakistan”, he said.
“And that’s exactly the message that has been sent”, Obama said.
Afghan guerrilla commander Sirajuddin Haqqani, a possible successor to Mansour, would likely prove an even more implacable foe of Afghan government forces and their USA allies.
Mansour’s death came days after diplomats from Pakistan, Afghanistan, US and China held the latest round of talks in Islamabad about a flagging effort to draw the Taliban into peace negotiations. It remains unclear whether the leader was killed on Friday or Saturday.
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Senior members of the Afghan Taliban met to choose a successor to their former leader Mulla Akhtar Mansour on Monday. Royce said the airstrike against Mansour was an important development because he had “killed thousands and thousands of people”.
