Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour 'likely killed' by US air strike
Officials said the militant had 'been an obstacle to peace and reconciliation' in Afghanistan
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour has been targeted and 'likely killed' in an air strike, US officials have said.
The US military carried out an air strike on Saturday in a remote area of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, according to officials.
It was likely that the leader of the extremist Islamist group had been killed in the drone strike, an anonymous security source told CNN.
The strike happened on the Pakistani side of the border, the source told the broadcaster, adding that a second man was also killed in the attack.
However, the identity of the people targeted was not confirmed.
"We are still assessing the results of the strike and will provide more information as it becomes available," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement.
He continued: "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 has been an obstacle to peace and reconciliation between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban, prohibiting Taliban leaders from participating in peace talks with the Afghan government that could lead to an end to the conflict."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments