On 22 May, Pakistan accused the US of violating its sovereignty following a drone strike last week in which Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, the Taliban’s leader, is believed to have been killed. The attack took place just inside Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan. The US has said that President Barack Obama authorised the strike, which underlines that the US is prepared to target the group’s leadership, even if they are discovered in Pakistan. Pakistan has reacted angrily, arguing that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was not informed before the attack. In an interview on Sunday, Mr Karzai said: “We will never allow any country or group to interfere in our internal affairs. If Mansoor’s death is confirmed, this could prompt a succession contest within the Taliban and deepen the divisions that became more apparent after the death of its founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar, in July 2015.
On 22 May, Pakistan accused the US of violating its sovereignty following a drone strike last week in which Mullah Akhtar Mansoor, the Taliban’s leader, is believed to have been killed. The attack took place just inside Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan. The US has said that President Barack Obama authorised the strike, which underlines that the US is prepared to target the group’s leadership, even if they are discovered in Pakistan. Pakistan has reacted angrily, arguing that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was not informed before the attack. There is still some debate over whether Mansoor was killed, or whether it was another individual, though the US has described the strike as a likely success. If Mansoor’s death is confirmed, this could prompt a succession contest within the Taliban and deepen the divisions that became more apparent after the death of its founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar, in July 2015.