Fall-Out From the Assassination Of Afghan Taliban Leader Mullah Mansour

Mark Landler and Matthew Rosenberg, New York Times: U.S. Strike on Taliban Leader Is Seen as a Message to Pakistan

WASHINGTON — Early on Saturday, a middle-aged Pashtun man used forged documents to cross from Iran into Pakistan. A few hours later, on a lonely stretch of highway, he was incinerated by an American drone.

It is not exactly clear how the Americans tracked Mullah Akhtar Muhammad Mansour, leader of the Afghan Taliban, to a white sedan rattling across the arid expanse of Baluchistan Province. The United States picked up a mix of phone intercepts and tips from sources, American and European officials said, and there were reports that Pakistan also provided intelligence. President Obama described Mullah Mansour’s death on Monday as an “important milestone” — but the strike was also an illustration of the tangled relationship between Washington and Islamabad.

Not since Mr. Obama ordered Navy SEALs to hunt down Osama bin Laden in May 2011 has he authorized a military incursion in Pakistan as audacious as this one. The White House did not inform the Pakistanis in advance of the operation, which occurred outside the frontier region near Afghanistan, the one place where Pakistan has tolerated American drone strikes in the past.

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More News And Commentary On The Fall-Out From the Assassination Of Afghan Taliban Leader Mullah Mansour

Obama calls Taliban leader's death a 'milestone' for Afghanistan -- FOX News
Taliban infighting likely, experts say, with Mullah Mansour dead -- Market Watch
Afghanistan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour’s death widens cracks in fragmented group -- India.com
Senior Taliban figure says death of leader could unify group -- AP
US General in Afghanistan: Mansour Was an Obstacle to Peace -- AP
US Official Tells VOA Mansoor Death Will Have 'Little Battlefield Impact' -- VOA
The Coming Changes to the Afghan War -- Paul D. Shinkman, US News and World Report
Why the US Killed Mullah Akhtar Mansour in Pakistan—and Why It Matters -- Newsweek/Reuters
With Mullah Mansour Out of the Picture, Is Peace Near for Afghanistan -- The Diplomat
Mansour's Death Shocks the Taliban and Pakistan -- Ashish Kumar Sen, Newsweek
After Taliban leader's assassination, where do Afghan peace talks stand? -- Nick Paton Walsh, CNN
Has the U.S. Finally Run Out of Patience With Pakistan? -- Isaac Chotiner, Slate
Big security decision facing the next president -- Peter Bergen, CNN National Security Analyst