The Taliban has denied reports that a US military drone strike had killed Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor and another fighter in Pakistan.
Earlier on Saturday, a US official said that the drone attack “likely killed” Mansoor inside Pakistani territory.
Authorised by US President Barack Obama, the strike took place at about 6 am EDT (1000 GMT), the official said, which would have placed it late on Friday night in the target area.
Multiple US drones targeted the men as they rode in a vehicle in a remote area in Pakistan along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, southwest of the town of Ahmad Wal, the official added.
The Pentagon confirmed that the US targeted Mansoor in a statement released on Saturday.
“We are still assessing the results of the strike and will provide more information as it becomes available,” Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said on Saturday in a statement, which did not address Mansoor’s condition.
