President Barack Obama confirms Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in a US air strike, hailing his death as an \u0022important milestone\u0022 in efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan.Video provided by AFP Newslook
The Afghan Taliban announced Wednesday that its new leader is Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, a hawkish deputy of Mullah Akhtar Mansour who was killed in an American drone strike last week.
While Mansour was killed in Pakistan on Saturday when his vehicle was struck by a drone, the Taliban only confirmed his death Wednesday. The insurgent group said he was chosen at a meeting of Taliban leaders, but offered no other details.
Akhundzada is a religious cleric and scholar and the former leader of the Taliban's court system who is known for his extremist views. His appointment comes amid a leadership crisis for the militant movement following the death of its founder Mullar Omar last summer. Mullah Yaqoub, Omar's son, was named a deputy of Akhundzada along with Sirajuddin Haqqani.
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