Vital Taliban Leader Mullah Mansour Killed In Airstrike

In an airstrike, Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour was killed Saturday in Pakistan, said sources within al Qaeda and the Taliban, confirmed CNN source.

US officials said that the drone had struck at about 6 a.m. ET Saturday in a far off region of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, southwest of Ahmad Wal.

"Mansour played a key leadership role in not only orchestrating the Taliban but orchestrating a variety of other organizations to include the Haqqani Network and al Qaeda who were perpetrating operations against not only U.S. forces but coalition forces and Afghan forces for a long period of time," Gen. Joseph Votel of U.S. Central Command said at a news conference in Amman, Jordan. "He's an individual who has been in that structure for a long time. I'm glad he's gone."

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry agreed that Mansour "was directly opposed to peace negotiations."

"This action sends a clear message to the world that we will continue to stand with our Afghan partners as they work to build a more stable, united, secure and prosperous Afghanistan," Kerry explained at a news conference in Myanmar. "It is time for Afghans to stop fighting and to start building a real future together."

The United States informed Pakistan's government of the strike, Kerry added.

"We have had longstanding conversations with Pakistan and Afghanistan about this objective with respect to Mullah Mansour, and both countries' leaders were notified of the airstrike," he said. "And it is important for people to understand that Mullah Mansour, as I said a moment ago, has been actively involved in planning attacks in Kabul, across Afghanistan, presenting a threat to Afghan civilians and to the coalition forces that are there."

Meanwhile, Pakistani officials protested that they had been informed only after the strike had been carried out.

"While further investigations are being carried out, Pakistan wishes to once again state that the drone attack was a violation of its sovereignty, an issue which has been raised with the United States in the past as well," said a statement from Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

However, US officials point out that Mansour had been opposed to peace. "Mansour has been the leader of the Taliban and actively involved with planning attacks against facilities in Kabul and across Afghanistan, presenting a threat to Afghan civilians and security forces, our personnel and coalition partners," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said.

"Mansour has been an obstacle to peace and reconciliation between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban, prohibiting Taliban leaders from participating in peace talks with the Afghan government that could lead to an end to the conflict."

Last year, the Taliban revealed that Mansour had taken command after the death of longtime leader Mullah Mohammed Omar, who died in Pakistan in 2013.