The Patriot Post® · Taliban Henchman Meets Allah

The Taliban is now leaderless again after a U.S.-sanctioned drone strike killed Mullah Akhtar Mansour, the terrorist leader who succeeded former Taliban chief Mullah Mohammad Omar last year. The drone strike occurred Sunday in Baluchistan, a Pakistani province. Interestingly, according to Reuters, “A Pakistani passport in the name of Wali Muhammad, which Pakistani authorities said contained a visa for Iran, was recovered near the scene of the attack and is believed to have belonged to Mansour. But it is unclear what he may have been doing in Iran.”

We can think of a few reasons. In June 2015, The Wall Street Journal reported on a burgeoning partnership between the two parties: “Afghan and Western officials say Tehran has quietly increased its supply of weapons, ammunition and funding to the Taliban, and is now recruiting and training their fighters, posing a new threat to Afghanistan’s fragile security.” Good thing we handed hundreds of billions of dollars to Iran as part of the nuclear “deal,” right?

Meanwhile, Barack Obama is hoping Mansour’s death propels peace talks. “The Taliban 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,” he remarked. Moreover, a weekend Journal article says, “The Afghan government is giving financial and military support to a breakaway Taliban faction, according to some Afghan and U.S. coalition officials, in an effort to sow rifts within the insurgency and nudge some of its leaders toward peace talks.” Both sides are evidently attempting to facilitate a truce. But will it work? Try asking Iran.