It was less than a year ago that Mullah Akhtar Mansoor was annouced leader of the Afghan Taliban.
His death in a US drone strike in Balochistan, a Pakistani region near the Afghan border on Saturday, could potentially throw the group into a period of confusion and internal power struggle.
During his time, Mansoor signaled readiness to peace talks and opened a Taliban liaison office in Qatar for that purpose.
But under his leadership, the Taliban refused a recent invitation by the Afghan government to attend negotiations.
Do targeted assassinations weaken groups like the Taliban? And what does Mansoor's death mean for peace in Afghanistan?
Presenter: Hazem Sika
Guests:
David Sedney - a senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He is a former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense.
Omar Samad - a senior Adviser to Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.
Rohullah Yakobi - associate Fellow at the Human Security Centre.
