President, Defense Secretary comment on death of Taliban leader
 
  By DoD News
  **WASHINGTON (May 23, 2016)  —** 
President Barack Obama Monday confirmed the death of Taliban leader
 Akhtar Mohammad Mansur, who was targeted May 21 by a U.S. airstrike 
near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The president, who’s in Vietnam meeting with senior Vietnamese government officials, issued a statement about the deceased Taliban chieftain. “Today marks an important milestone in our longstanding effort to bring 
peace and prosperity to Afghanistan,” Obama said. “With the death of 
Taliban leader Akhtar Mohammad Mansur, we have removed the leader of an 
organization that has continued to plot against and unleash attacks on 
American and coalition forces, to wage war against the Afghan people, 
and align itself with extremist groups like al-Qaida.” Obama said Mansur “rejected efforts by the Afghan government to
 seriously engage in peace talks and end the violence that has taken the
 lives of countless innocent Afghan men, women and children.” The 
Taliban, the president said, “should seize the opportunity to pursue the
 only real path for ending this long conflict -- joining the Afghan 
government in a reconciliation process that leads to lasting peace and 
stability.” **An Enduring Partner of Afghanistan** “As an enduring partner of the Afghan people,” Obama said, “the
 United States will continue to help strengthen Afghan security forces 
and support President [Ashraf] Ghani and the national unity government 
in their efforts to forge the peace and progress that Afghans deserve. “We will continue taking action against extremist networks that
 target the United States,” he continued. “We will work on shared 
objectives with Pakistan, where terrorists that threaten all our nations
 must be denied safe haven. After so many years of conflict, today gives
 the people of Afghanistan and the region a chance at a different, 
better future.” The president also expressed his gratitude to those involved in
 planning and carrying out the operation and to all Americans who have 
contributed to U.S. efforts in Afghanistan. “I thank our dedicated military and intelligence personnel who 
have once again sent a clear message to all those who target our people 
and our partners -- you will have no safe haven,” he said. “Today is a 
day for us to give thanks to all of the Americans who have served in 
Afghanistan for so many years with a selfless commitment to the security
 of our nation and a better future for the Afghan people.” Defense Secretary Ash Carter also issued a statement today about the Taliban leader’s demise. **A Commitment to Address Threats** “Protecting American forces wherever they are in the world will
 always be one of my top priorities as Secretary of Defense,” Carter 
said. “The confirmation that our precision airstrike Saturday killed 
Taliban leader Mullah Mansur makes clear my commitment to address 
threats to our troops, NATO forces, Afghan military personnel and the 
innocent Afghan civilians who are working together so bravely to improve
 security in that country. Removing Mansur from the battlefield 
eliminates one roadblock to peace in Afghanistan.” Carter added, “I want to thank the U.S forces that carried out 
this important operation, and reaffirm that we will continue to disrupt 
networks and individuals that threaten the United States and our forces 
abroad. The Department of Defense will also continue to support the 
government of Afghanistan's effort to build a brighter and safer future 
for the people of Afghanistan.” Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis briefed reporters this
 morning on Mansur’s death, characterizing the airstrike as deliberate 
and defensive. “[Mansur] was specifically targeting U.S. coalition personnel 
and [had been] engaged in operations in which personnel were killed,” he
 said. Davis emphasized that military authorizations permitted actions
 against enemies who aim to harm the United States and its allies, and 
he told reporters that the U.S.-led collation was in communication with 
Afghan and Pakistani defense officials prior to the airstrike. “The United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan share common aims 
of taking out senior terrorist leaders when and where we see them,” he 
said. Mansur was “a specific, imminent threat to U.S. and coalition 
personnel,” and was “set on attacking Afghanistan, U.S. and coalition 
forces,” Davis noted.