Afghan Taliban sources confirm death of leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour

Senior Afghan Taliban sources have confirmed the death of their chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone strike, adding that a council is underway to decide his successor

Senior Afghan Taliban sources today confirmed the death of their chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone strike, adding that a council is underway to decide his successor.

"I can say with good authority that Mullah Mansour is no more," a senior Taliban source told AFP.

Mansour's death was confirmed by two other senior figures, who said the group's top leaders were gathering in southwest Pakistan to name their future chief.

"Mullah Zakir, Mullah Shireen and Siraj Haqqani are strong candidates," one of the sources told AFP.

Another Taliban source confirmed Haqqani, leader of the feared Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network and one of Mansour's deputies, was a frontrunner, adding that Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was also in contention.