Mullah Mansour was followed by US intelligence from Iran, says report

The slain Taliban supremo entered Pakistani border region after visiting his family in Iran, claims WSJ

Former Taliban supremo Mullah Akhtar Mansour was targeted by a US drone strike when he entered into the Pakistan border after meeting his family in Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, US surveillance drones don’t function in the area where Mansour was targeted, however, intercepted communications and other kinds of intelligence tactics let the spy agency to track down his vehicle while he was crossing the Iran border on May 21.

The Taliban chief, according to the WSJ report, got into a Toyota Corolla to move inside Balochistan from where the US military took over with the help of their drones.



The US officials then waited for the right moment to target Mansour's vehicle well before he had entered Quetta, where a strike would have been more complicated.

The report also revealed that the Obama’s administration was divided over the decision whether to target the Taliban chief or not.

The administration had grown frustrated because of Mullah Mansour’s refusal for the peace talks as he did not send his representatives to meet the Afghan government.



During the time when US officials were engrossed debating their next move, their sources revealed that Mansour had left Pakistan for Iran to visit his family. And then intelligence tactics were employed to track his movements for further actions, the officials said.

As the CIA carried on keeping an eye on the Mansour’s movement, the officials were faced with a dilemma-like question: Should they target the Taliban supremo if he was to return Pakistan?

The drone attack inside Pakistan on May 21 meant their decision was in affirmative.