The United States conducted a drone strike on Saturday against the leader of the Afghan Taliban, likely killing him close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region in a mission authorised by US President Barack Obama, US officials said.
The death of Mullah Akhtar Mansour, should it be confirmed, could further fracture the Taliban—an outcome that experts cautioned might make the insurgents even less likely to participate in long-stalled peace efforts.
The mission, which included multiple drones, demonstrated a clear willingness by Obama to go after the Afghan Taliban leadership now that the insurgents control or contest more territory in Afghanistan than at any time since being ousted by a US-led intervention in 2001.
Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook confirmed an air strike targeting Mansour in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region but declined to speculate on his fate, although US officials speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters he likely was killed.
"We are still assessing the results of the strike and will provide more information as it becomes available," Cook said.
The US drones targeted Mansour and another combatant as the men rode in a vehicle in a remote area, said another US official speaking on condition of anonymity.
US special operations forces operated the drones in a mission authorized by Obama that took place at about 6 am EDT (1000 GMT), the official said. That would have placed it at Saturday at 3 pm in Pakistan.
Afghan govt, intelligence confirms Taliban chief's death
Afghan government Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah issued the highest level confirmation that Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour had been killed in the attack by US.
Abdullah said Mansour was killed in a drone strike when his car was attacked at 04:30 pm on Saturday.
Afghanistan's main intelligence service, the National Directorate for Security also said that it had confirmed Mansour's death.
Pakistan's Foreign Office said it was "seeking clarification" about the US drone strike against the Afghan Taliban leader.
"I have seen the reports. We are seeking clarification," Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said in a statement.
He added that Pakistan wanted the Taliban to return to the negotiating table to end the long war in Afghanistan.
"Military action is not a solution," he added.
Pakistan, Afghan leaders notified: Kerry
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour posed a "continuing imminent threat" to US personnel in Afghanistan and to Afghans, and was a threat to peace.
"Yesterday, the United States conducted a precision air strike that targeted Taliban leader Mullah Mansour in a remote area of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Mansour posed a continuing, imminent threat" to US personnel and Afghans, Kerry told a news conference in the Myanmar capital.
"This action sends a clear message to the world that we will continue to stand with our Afghan partners as they work to build a more stable, united, secure and prosperous Afghanistan."
Kerry said the leaders of both Pakistan and Afghanistan were notified of the air strike but he declined to elaborate on the timing of the notifications, which he said included a telephone call from him to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Confirmation from Senior Taliban commander
Meanwhile, a Taliban commander close to Mansour, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, denied Mansour was dead.
"We heard about these baseless reports but this not first time," the commander said.
"Just wanted to share with you my own information that Mullah Mansour has not been killed."
But news agency the Associated Press reported that a senior Taliban commander had confirmed Mullah Akhtar Mansour's death in the drone strike.
Mullah Abdul Rauf, who recently reconciled with Mansour after initially rebelling against his ascension to the leadership, said that Mansour died in the strike late Friday "in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area," the Associated Press reported.
In December, Mansour was reportedly wounded and possibly killed in a shootout at the house of another Taliban leader near Quetta in Pakistan.
"The opportunity to conduct this operation to eliminate the threat that Mansour posed was a distinctive one and we acted on it," a State Department official said.
There has been no official confirmation from US authorities.
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