A top Afghan government official said on Sunday it was likely that Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour was killed in a U.S. air strike.

"Last night, American officials informed the Afghan government and it is very likely that he is killed. As soon as we get more information we will inform our people," said Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.

U.S. officials in Washington said on Saturday U.S. missile-firing drones had attacked Mansour and probably killed him in a strike in southwest Pakistan, near the Afghan border, authorized by U.S. President Barack Obama. </s> PESHAWAR, Pakistan: After having been declared dead several times in the past, a senior Taliban commander has been killed in an air strike in northern Afghanistan, officials of the militant group confirmed on Monday.

Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund, who commanded Taliban forces in Kunduz, was one of three fighters killed in a weekend strike by an unmanned aircraft, a senior Taliban official in the province told Reuters, on condition of anonymity to ensure his safety.

"He was on a journey a few days ago and stopped at a house at Dashte Archi town when the drone fired missiles," said the official.

A U.S. military spokesman said an American warplane had conducted a strike in Kunduz on Sunday, but the command did "not have confirmation of the results".

The strike killed Akhund and eight other Taliban, said Sher Aziz Kamawal, a senior police commander in northern Afghanistan.

Akhund, who oversaw the Taliban offensive that briefly seized Kunduz city in 2015, had previously been reported dead several times by Afghan officials.

This time however, his apparent death was confirmed by top Taliban officials, including a commander in the eastern province of Khost.

"It's part of our life," the commander told Reuters. "We are proud to confirm that he was martyred for a cause." </s> Taliban confirms Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund's death, saying he was killed by a US bombing raid in Afghan province.

A senior Taliban commander has been killed in an air raid in northern Afghanistan, the armed group said on Monday.

Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund, who oversaw a Taliban offensive that briefly seized Kunduz city in 2015, had previously been reported dead several times by Afghan officials.

Akhund was one of three fighters killed in an air raid by an unmanned aircraft in the Kunduz province, a senior Taliban official in the province told the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity.

"He was on a journey a few days ago and stopped at a house at Dasht-e-Archi town [in Kunduz] when the drone fired missiles," the official said.

The raid killed Akhund and eight other Taliban members, Sher Aziz Kamawal, a senior police commander in northern Afghanistan, said.

READ MORE: Afghan civilian casualties at record high in 2016 - UN

A US military spokesman said an American jet had carried out a bombing raid in the city on Sunday, but the command did "not have confirmation of the results".

Taliban gains in the Helmand and Uruzgan regions, where they also threaten provincial capitals, have underlined the group's growing strength and exposed weaknesses in the government.

The group maintains that its fight is against foreign military forces and the foreign-backed government, not ordinary Afghans.

On Sunday, its leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, urged Afghans to plant more trees in a statement, calling on civilians and fighters to "plant one or several fruit or non-fruit trees for the beautification of Earth and the benefit of almighty God's creations".

The message, carried on official Taliban outlets, was a shift from the usual fiery rhetoric against the Afghan government and NATO forces. </s> Afghan officials and the Taliban say a senior commander of the militant group has been killed in northern Afghanistan.

Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on February 27 that Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund was killed in a "special operation." He gave no details.

Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said Akhund was killed along with nine other Taliban militants.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed Akhund's death in a statement, saying he was killed by a U.S. air strike in the Dashti-e-Archi district in the northern province of Kunduz.

Akhund, the commander of Taliban forces in the northern province of Kunduz, had been declared dead several times in the past only to reappear.

A U.S. military spokesman told Reuters that an American warplane had conducted an air strike in Kunduz on February 26 but said there was "no confirmation of the results."

Taliban militants have briefly seized control of the provincial capital, Kunduz City, for two consecutive years, in a major embarrassment to the Kabul government.

Akhund's death is a blow to the Taliban as the militants prepare their annual spring offensive against government forces.

With reporting by Reuters </s> PESHAWAR - An air strike has killed an Afghan Taliban commander who twice oversaw the capture of a strategic northern city, officials said Monday, in a major blow to the insurgent group.

Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund, the Taliban shadow governor in Kunduz province who had been declared dead several times in the past, was killed on Sunday when he was holding a meeting in the volatile Dasht-e-Archi district.

“He was killed with five others in the house,” provincial governor Asadullah Amarkhil told AFP.

The Taliban acknowledged the death of “the conquerer of Kunduz”, saying he was killed in a “cowardly attack by US invaders”.

Mullah Akhund was one of three fighters killed in a weekend strike by an unmanned aircraft, a senior Taliban official in the province told Reuters, on condition of anonymity to ensure his safety.

“He was on a journey a few days ago and stopped at a house at Dashte Archi town when drone fired missiles,” said the official.

A Taliban commander in the eastern province of Khost said, “It’s part of our life… We are proud to confirm that he (Akhund) was martyred for a cause.”

A US military spokesman said an American warplane had conducted a strike in Kunduz on Sunday, but the command did “not have confirmation of the results”.

Akhund had led the insurgents to mount several attacks in Kunduz since 2011.

The Taliban seized the provincial capital Kunduz city for about two weeks in September 2015, in their biggest victory since they were toppled from national power by a US-led invasion in 2001.

The militants briefly overran the city again in October last year before they were beaten back by Nato-backed Afghan forces. </s> KABUL: A senior Taliban military commander has been killed in a US airstrike in Afghanistan, officials said on Sunday.

Abdul Manan, who was the Taliban´s ´shadow governor´ in the southern Helmand province, died of wounds sustained during an airstrike late on Saturday said Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the official governor of the province.

Manan´s death was also confirmed by the Taliban who in a statement described it as a "big loss" for the group but vowed that it will not affect their military operations.

As a senior Taliban leader, Abdul Manan had led the insurgency group´s expansion as it expanded control over the opium-rich province in recent years.

Afghan interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said Manan was the militants´ top military leader in southern Afghanistan and his death as a major blow to the Taliban.

"His death will lower the morale of the enemy, and result in (the) improvement of security in Helmand and other southern provinces," Najib Danish told AFP.

Danish said that 32 other Taliban fighters were also killed in the airstrike.

A US force spokesman in Afghanistan confirmed the airstrike had killed the Taliban shadow governor.

"The Taliban should consider intensifying peace talks, not the fight. They´re going to have trouble intensifying the fight when their fighters and leaders are under constant assault," Col. Dave Butler said in a statement.

Abdul Manan was on the blacklist unveiled mid-October by the Riyadh-based Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC), which imposed financial sanctions on nine individuals, including six Taliban members. </s> An air strike has killed an Afghan Taliban commander who twice oversaw the capture of a strategic northern city, officials said Monday, in a major blow to the insurgent group.

Mullah Abdul Salam Akhund, the Taliban shadow governor in Kunduz province, was killed on Sunday when he was holding a meeting in the volatile Dasht-e-Archi district.

"He was killed with five others in the house," said provincial governor Asadullah Amarkhil.

The Taliban acknowledged the death of "the conquerer of Kunduz", saying he was killed in a "cowardly attack by US invaders".

The US-led NATO forces in Afghanistan did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Akhund had led the insurgents to mount several attacks in Kunduz since 2011.

The Taliban seized the provincial capital Kunduz city for about two weeks in September 2015, in their biggest victory since they were toppled from national power by a US-led invasion in 2001.

The militants briefly overran the city again in October last year before they were beaten back by NATO-backed Afghan forces. </s> A senior Taliban commander has been killed in Afghanistan by a US drone strike in what the terror group has described as a "big loss".

Mullah Abdul Manan was killed with 32 others by an airstrike on Saturday as he met local commanders and fighters in Nawzad district in Helmand province, provincial governor Mohammad Yasin Khan said.

He was the "shadow governor" of Helmand province - the largest supplier of Afghanistan's opium crop - for the insurgent group and headed up the Taliban's southern Afghanistan command.

His death was confirmed by Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid who said it was a "big loss" for the group.

The US military also confirmed his death, adding that Afghan forces had gone on the offensive with US support.

They had used precision airstrikes to push the Taliban to accept engaging in peace talks, he added.

Colonel Dave Butler, spokesman for US forces in Afghanistan, said: "They're going to have trouble intensifying the fight when their fighters and leaders are under constant assault.

Pictures claiming to be of Manan's body were being circulated on social media.

His death is being seen by Afghan officials as a major success because Manan commanded Taliban fighters while they steadily increased control over Helmand in the years following the end of most international combat missions in 2014.

"He was the most senior Taliban commander in the south and his death will have an overall impact on security," one senior security official in Kabul said.

Afghan interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish, added: "His death will lower the morale of the enemy, and result in (the) improvement of security in Helmand and other southern provinces."

Manan was on a blacklist unveiled in mid-October by the Riyadh-based Terrorist Financing Targeting Centre, which imposed financial sanctions on nine individuals, including six Taliban members.

The commander's death comes as the Western-backed security forces and the Taliban are pushing to gain momentum, with efforts stepped up to find a peaceful settlement to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan. </s> A key Taliban commander in Afghanistan was killed in a U.S. airstrike on Saturday night, local government officials and the Taliban said.

Mohammad Yasin, governor of restive southern Helmand province, told Anadolu Agency that Mullah Abdul Manan was targeted along with his guards in the Nauzaad district late on Saturday.

He added that the notorious Taliban commander involved in nationwide terrorist attacks succumbed to his wounds on Sunday.

According to the local Khama Press, Mullah Abdulu Rahim alias Mullah Abdul Manan -- who was the group's shadow governor for Helmand -- was killed with his four comrades and two of his security guards.

Manan's death was also confirmed by the Taliban who in a statement described it as a "big loss" for the group but vowed that it will not affect their military operations.

Helmand -- the region that supplies the largest share of Afghanistan's opium crop -- has been the scene of bitter fighting for years with 10 out of 14 districts of the province either controlled or contested by the Taliban.

As a senior Taliban leader, Abdul Manan had led the insurgency group's expansion as it expanded control over the opium-rich province in recent years.

Afghan interior ministry spokesman Najib Danish said Manan was the militants' top military leader in southern Afghanistan and his death as a major blow to the Taliban.

"His death will lower the morale of the enemy, and result in (the) improvement of security in Helmand and other southern provinces," Najib Danish told AFP.

Danish said that 32 other Taliban fighters were also killed in the airstrike.

A U.S. force spokesman in Afghanistan confirmed the airstrike had killed the Taliban shadow governor.

"The Taliban should consider intensifying peace talks, not the fight. They're going to have trouble intensifying the fight when their fighters and leaders are under constant assault," Col. Dave Butler said in a statement.

Abdul Manan was on the blacklist unveiled mid-October by the Riyadh-based Terrorist Financing Targeting Center (TFTC), which imposed financial sanctions on nine individuals, including six Taliban members.

The killing of the Taliban military leader comes despite increased efforts by the Afghan government and its Western backers to put an end to the 17-year war.

U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad recently expressed hopes that a peace deal to end the war could be struck before the Afghan presidential election, scheduled for April.

At an international conference on Afghanistan in Geneva last Monday, Afghan president Ashraf Ghani said a 12-person negotiating team has been prepared for peace talks.

But the Taliban have rejected Ghani's overtures, calling the government in Kabul "impotent" and a "waste of time."

Ghani said the Afghan military has lost 28,529 soldiers in conflicts with the Taliban since 2015, when Afghan forces took over responsibility for national security from NATO.

The Taliban gained power in Afghanistan in 1996 after the civil war which followed the Soviet-Afghan war. They ruled Afghanistan for five years until the U.S.-led invasion that started in 2001.
A senior Taliban commander, Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund, is killed in a U.S. air strike in Afghanistan.