Akhtar Mansour

Mullah Akhtar Mohammed Mansoor (Pashto: اختر محمد منصور, romanized: Akhtar Muḥammad Manṣūr; pronounced /ɑːktɑː mɑːnsjʊər/ or /æktɑː mænsjʊər/; 2 June 1953 – 21 May 2016) was an Afghan politician, soldier, Islamic scholar and a religious leader who was the 2nd Leader of the Taliban from 2015 until his death in 2016. Previously, he was the First Deputy Leader of the Taliban from 2010 to 2015, Second Deputy Leader of the Taliban from 2007 to 2010, and also a Member of the Leadership Council of Afghanistan from 2002 to 2007 and the Civil Aviation Minister of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001.

Mullah Akhtar Mansour
2nd Leader of the Taliban
In office 29 July 2015 – 21 May 2016
Deputy	First Deputies Himself Hibatullah Akhundzada Second Deputy Sirajuddin Haqqani
Preceded by	Mohammed Omar
Succeeded by	Hibatullah Akhundzada
First Deputy Leader of the Taliban
In office 24 March 2010 – 29 July 2015
Leader	Mohammed Omar Himself (Acting)
Preceded by	Mohammad Rabbani
Succeeded by	Hibatullah Akhundzada
Second Deputy Leader of the Taliban
In office 2007 – 24 March 2010
Leader	Mohammed Omar
Preceded by	Obaidullah Akhund
Succeeded by	Hibatullah Akhundzada
Member of the Leadership Council of Afghanistan
In office May 2001 – 2007
Civil Aviation Minister of Afghanistan
In office 27 September 1996 – 13 November 2001
Personal details
Born	(1953-06-02)2 June 1953 Maiwand District, Kandahar Province, Kingdom of Afghanistan
Died	21 May 2016(2016-05-21) (aged 62) Ahmad Wal, Balochistan, Pakistan
Cause of death	Drone strike
Resting place	Kandahar Province, Afghanistan
Nationality	Afghan
Education	Darul Uloom Haqqania University of Kabul
Occupation	Politician, Soldier, Islamic scholar, Religious Leader
Religion	Sunni Islam
Military service
Allegiance	Mujahideen Islamic and National Revolution Movement of Afghanistan (1980–92) Hezb-e Islami Khalis (1980–92) Taliban (1994–2016)
Branch/service	Mujahideen Islamic and National Revolution Movement of Afghanistan (1980–92) Hezb-e Islami Khalis (1980–92) Taliban (1992–96) Afghan Armed Forces (1996–2001) Taliban (2001–16)
Years of service	1985–2016
Rank	Commander (2015) General (2001) Infantry (1985)
Commands	Taliban (form 2015)
Battles/wars	Afghan conflict Soviet–Afghan War Afghan Civil War (1989–1992) Battle of Jalalabad (1989) Afghan Civil War (1992–1996) Battle of Kabul (1992–1996) Afghan Civil War (1996–2001) War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) Fall of Kabul (2001) United States invasion of Afghanistan War on Terrorism

Mansour took power over the Taliban after the death of his predecessor, Mullah Omar in 2013. However, Mansour served as acting leader and wasn't officially sworn in on 29 Juky 2015 when they officially admitted Omar's death.

During Mansour's rule, the Taliban expanded greatly in Afghanistan. He also greatly improved ties with al-Qaeda by meeting their leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the successor and close ally of Osama bin Laden.

A United States Department of Defense official has announced that Mansour was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Ahmad Wal, Pakistan while driving his car to visit his family get medical treatment for some of his injuries on 21 May 2016, at the age of 62. He was succeeded by his first deputy, Hibatullah Akhundzada, who successfully retook power over Afghanistan following the Fall of Kabul on 15 August 2021.

Other websites

• T.A.C. – link published November 2009
• P. Tomsen – text published by PublicAffairs, November 25, 2013, 912 pages, ISBN 1610394127