Afghan officials see Taliban leader’s death as hopeful sign

Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan

The killing of Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Akhtar Mansour in a U.S. drone strike was greeted Sunday by Kabul’s political leadership as a game-changer in efforts to end the long insurgent war plaguing Afghanistan.

In a rare show of unity, President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah both welcomed the news of Mansour’s death as the removal of a man who unleashed violence against innocent civilians in Afghanistan and was widely regarded as an obstacle to peace within the militant group.

Mansour, believed to be in his 50s, was killed when a U.S. drone fired on his vehicle in the southwestern Pakistan province of Baluchistan, although there were conflicting accounts whether the airstrike occurred Friday or Saturday. He had emerged as the successor to Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, whose 2013 death was only revealed last summer.

Mansour “engaged in deception, concealment of facts, drug-smuggling and terrorism while intimidating, maiming and killing innocent Afghans,” Ghani said in a statement on his official Twitter account.

“A new opportunity presents itself to those Taliban who are willing to end war and bloodshed,” he added.

Mansour was “the main figure preventing the Taliban joining the peace process,” Abdullah said, speaking live on television as he chaired a Cabinet meeting. “From the day he took over the Taliban following the death of Mullah Omar, he intensified violence against ordinary citizens, especially in Afghanistan.”

Ghani and Abdullah serve in a so-called national unity government brokered by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry after a divisive 2014 election. As president and chief executive, the two rarely see eye-to-eye on even the most important decisions for a country beset by war for almost 40 years, including appointments to key security posts.

On Sunday, at least, they seemed to be on the same page.

Kerry hailed the news of Mansour’s demise even before it was officially confirmed – an indication of how much Washington has wearied of the Taliban’s 15-year war with Kabul.

“Peace is what we want. Mansour was a threat to that effort,” Kerry said, speaking from Myanmar. “He also was directly opposed to peace negotiations and to the reconciliation process. It is time for Afghans to stop fighting and to start building a real future together.”

His death clears the way for a succession battle, the movement’s second in less than a year. Whoever wins that battle will largely determine the direction for both the Taliban and the beleaguered Afghan peace process.