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Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour killed in U.S. drone strike, officials say

By Cox Media Group National Content Desk
May 22, 2016
Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed late Friday in a U.S. drone strike, officials said early Sunday.

The Associated Press reported that Mullah Abdul Rauf, a senior Taliban commander, said the strike "in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area" killed Mansour, who had led the group since the death of Mullah Mohammad Omar in 2013. Mansour reportedly hid Mullah Omar's death until 2015.

Afghanistan's intelligence agency later confirmed Mansour's death, according to the AP.

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While visiting Myanmar, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry praised the death of Mansour.

"Mansour posed a continuing imminent threat to U.S. personnel in Afghanistan, Afghan civilians, Afghan security forces and members of Resolute Support," Kerry said. "Peace is what we want. Mansour was a threat to that effort."

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