Friend or Foe: Slain Taliban Leader Made 19 Trips to Dubai, Meeting with Saudi Officials and U.S. Government's Representatives

The leader of the Taliban Mullah Akhtar Mansour, who was killed in a US drone strike on May 21, allegedly traveled to Dubai 19 times and visited Saudi and American Officials , the Pakistani daily newspaper Dawn reported Tuesday.

A Pakistani passport and ID card recovered at the site of the US drone strike near the Afghan border bore the name Wali Muhammad and a valid visa showing him crossing into Pakistan on May 21, the day he was killed. Reports in the wake of Mansour’s death suggested frequent travels in and out of Pakistan and Dubai, where he was said to have a house and investments.

"Wali had a Pakistani passport and was travelling on it with a valid visa of Dubai," a senior investigative agency official told Pakistan’s Dawn daily.

The official said Wali, widely believed to be the name used by Mansour in his foreign trips, had visited Dubai 18 times via Karachi airport and had had secret talks with Saudi and U.S. intelligence officials.

The official said the ID card was issued to Wali in 2002 and renewed 10 years after expiry, whereas the passport was issued twice in 2006 and 2011 after the first expired.

In a detailed account of his itinerary, sources said Mansour crossed the immigration checkpoint at Taftan approximately six hours before his death. From there, he hired a car to travel to Quetta, lunched near the regional city of Dalbandin, and resumed his journey before the drone struck the vehicle, killing him and his driver.

Sources said no relative has thus far claimed the charred body brought to the Combined Military Hospital in Quetta.

The outlet added that a DNA sample collected from the corpse would be tested in Islamabad, noting that Quetta lacks the relevant capabilities.

Source: sputniknews.com