CBS News: Taliban Leader Mullah Mansour Believed To Be Killed By US Airstrike
WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork) — The Pentagon says a U.S. airstrike has targeted Taliban leader Mullah Mansour.
The airstrike was conducted in a remote area of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, CBS News reported.
Pentagon officials said the military is still assessing the results of the strike. A U.S. official told CBS News that Mansour was likely killed.
Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said the leader has been "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."
The strike was carried out by multiple drones operated by the U.S. Special Operations Forces. The attack targeted a vehicle carrying Mansour and another passenger in the town of Ahmad Wal, CBS News reported.
President Obama authorized the strike, added the official.