Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour 'likely killed' by US air strike

Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour has been targeted and 'likely killed' in an air strike, US officials have said.

The US military carried out an air strike on Saturday in a remote area of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region, according to officials.

It was likely that the leader of the extremist Islamist group had been killed in the drone strike, an anonymous security source told CNN.

The strike happened on the Pakistani side of the border, the source told the broadcaster, adding that a second man was also killed in the attack.

However, the identity of the people targeted was not confirmed.

"We are still assessing the results of the strike and will provide more information as it becomes available," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement.

He continued: "Mansour has been the leader of the Taliban and actively involved with planning attacks against facilities in Kabul and across Afghanistan, presenting a threat to Afghan civilians and security forces, our personnel, and coalition partners.

"Mansour has been an obstacle to peace and reconciliation between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban, prohibiting Taliban leaders from participating in peace talks with the Afghan government that could lead to an end to the conflict."