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Significance
Pentagon spokesperson Peter Cook in a statement labelled Mullah Mansour a "key obstacle to peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan", referring to his repeated refusals to negotiate with Kabul. Yet while his elimination represents a major setback for the Taliban, the prospects for peace talks have not necessarily brightened.
Impacts
The Taliban's position on Islamic State group depends on how soon a new leader is chosen and recent unification gains are consolidated.
International involvement in Afghanistan is unlikely to change in the short term as a result of Mullah Mansour's killing.
Reprisal attacks by the Taliban against foreign forces could rise.
Keywords:
Afghanistan,
AP,
India,
Iran,
NATO,
Pakistan,
United States,
international relations,
politics,
civil war,
government,
regional,
security,
talks
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2016
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