Islamabad: A DNA test has confirmed Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour’s death in a US drone strike in the restive Pakistani province of Balochistan on May 21, the government here has said.

“The second man killed in the drone attack has been identified. It has been confirmed that the man killed in the attack was former Taliban chief Mullah Mansour. The exact identity was known through the DNA test which matched with a relative of Mansour who had come from Afghanistan to take the dead body,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Mansour, who was in his early 50s, and Muhammad Azam, a Pakistani driver, were killed on May 21 when US special forces targeted their vehicle in a drone strike in Noshki district of Balochistan while they were allegedly returning from Iran by road. The US had announced soon after the attack that it had successfully targeted Mansour but Pakistan had said that DNA test would be performed to identify the victims. The Interior Ministry said yesterday that the tests proved that Mansour was killed in the drone attack. Pakistan Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz had said on Thursday that all indicators confirmed that the person killed in the drone strike was Mansour. However, he had said that the final announcement in this regard will made after the DNA tests. Pakistan government has described the US drone strike as a violation of its sovereignty. Meanwhile, the family of the driver killed in the drone attack registered a police case yesterday against the US government, demanding justice. — PTI