Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour killed in air strike

The US has killed the leader of the Afghan Taliban in an air strike in a remote border area just inside Pakistan, Afghanistan said yesterday, in an attack likely to dash any immediate prospect for peace talks.

The death of Mullah Akhtar Mansour could trigger a battle for succession and deepen fractures that emerged in the insurgent movement after the death of its founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar, was confirmed last year, more than two years after he died.

Saturday’s strike, which US officials said was authorised by President Barack Obama and included multiple drones, showed the US was prepared to go after the Taliban leadership in Pakistan, which the Western-backed government in Kabul has repeatedly accused of sheltering the insurgents.