Mullah Mansour Akhtar



Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour (Pashto: اختر محمد منصور‎ Akhtar Muḥammad Manṣūr; born probably 1968, although possibly 1963 or '65 was possibly, Naib Imam) and was the Emir (leader) of the Taliban under the name IEA (Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan), an Islamic fundamentalist political movement in Afghanistan. He was successor of Mullah Muhammad Omar (however his succession remained a dispute in itself).

On 21 May 2016, it was reported by a U.S. defence department official that Mansour had been killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan. The official, who was not sanctioned to speak publicly about the attack, said Mansour was believed killed when the drone hit a vehicle in which he and another militant were riding. The second person was also killed by the strike, which was approved by U.S. President Barack Obama.

The claim of his death has been acknowledged by one of the senior Afghan Taliban commanders (according to various trusted sources) and by the Afghan intelligence agency. His body is at a morgue in Pakistan (picture shown below):


The airstrike targeted a white car allegedly carrying the HVT (high value target) in Pakistani territory. Soon after the conduction of the raid; puppet governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan were informed about the events.
Additional info:

Mullah Mansour Akhtar had a Pakistani passport under the name of Wali Muhammad
Pictures of aftermath of the air-raid:

Barrel Bomb


Image showing residents carefully watching the sky for barrel bombs as the Assad planes fly overhead in Syria.

A barrel bomb is an improvised unguided bomb, sometimes described as a flying IED (improvised explosive device). They are typically made from a large barrel-shaped metal container that has been filled with high explosives, possibly shrapnel, oil or chemicals as well, and then dropped from a helicopter or airplane. Due to the large amount of explosives (up 1,000 kilograms), their poor accuracy and indiscriminate use in populated civilian areas (including refugee camps), the resulting detonations have been devastating. Critics have characterised them as weapons of terror and illegal under international conventions.

The earliest known use of barrel bombs in their current form was by the Israeli military in 1948. The second known use of barrel bombs was by the US military in Vietnam in the late 1960s. Starting in the 1990s, they were also used in Sri Lanka, Croatia and Sudan. Barrel bombs have been used extensively by the Syrian Air Force during the Syrian Civil War—bringing the weapon to widespread global attention—and later by the Iraqi forces during the Anbar clashes. Experts believe they will continue to be embraced by unstable nations fighting insurgencies since they are cheap to make and utilise the advantages of a government's air-power.

Use in Iraq:
In May 2014, it was reported by witnesses that the Iraqi army dropped barrel bombs on the city of Fallujah and surrounding areas, killing civilians during the Anbar clashes (2013–14). According to Mohammed al-Jumaili, a local journalist, the army repeatedly dropped barrel bombs "targeting mosques, houses and markets." Their use was later confirmed by a mid-level Iraqi security officer in Anbar province who admitted that barrel bombs had in fact been dropped in Fallujah. It has been reported by Iraqis that the attacks usually come at night, in order not to be caught on video. Militants in Fallujah have boasted that they have discovered about 20 barrel bombs that did not explode on impact and are using them to make their own weapons. It was claimed in July 2014 by doctors in Fallujah that the city was being barrel-bombed three times a week and more than 600 civilians had been killed in such strikes since January. It has been claimed by an Iraqi Kurd air force pilot that the barrel bombs are produced by Iranians who then use Antonov aircraft and Huey helicopters to drop them.

According to Erin Evers of Human Rights Watch, "What's happening now in Iraq definitely started in Syria. If I were al-Maliki, and seeing Assad next door using the same tactics without a slap on the wrist and gaining ground as a result, it stands to reason he would say, 'Why the hell not?'"

According to residents of Tikrit, Baiji and Mosul, government forces have also dropped barrel bombs on their cities during the 2014 Northern Iraq offensive. Similar barrel bombs attacks were reported in Fallujah and the nearby town of Al-Karmah, in late July and August. On 11 September, 14 barrel bombs were dropped on Fallujah city, killing 22 civilians. According to aid workers, the Iraqi army continues to use barrel bombs extensively against ISIS-held areas, including 30 to 35 barrel bombs on Aziz Balad, a town east of Samarra. Further attacks and casualties were reported in Fallujah in June, July and August 2015.

Obama: U.S. Will Send 250 Additional Military Personnel To Syria

A member of the Kurdish internal security forces (known as the Asayish) inspects the Alaya prison in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli on April 22.

President Obama announced Monday that the U.S. will send up to 250 additional military personnel to Syria. The announcement signals a significant expansion of the American military presence in the country, from 50 personnel up to 300.

Still, it is not likely that this escalation indicates a large-scale intervention in Syria, where a fragile cease-fire has done little to slow violence. The partial truce, brokered by the U.S. and Russia in February, has not slowed attacks leveled by the regime of President Bashar Assad against rebel-held regions.