Pakistan court orders auction of ex-Taliban chief's property
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani judge ordered the auction of five properties purchased by former Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour with fake documents before he was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2016, two investigators familiar with the case said Friday.
Mansour bought the properties, estimated to be worth about $200,000, after he replaced Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, whose death was announced in 2015.
Mansour's properties were detected in the port city of Karachi after he was killed in a drone strike in Baluchistan province, the investigators said on condition of anonymity for security reasons.
The officials said the judge, whose name was not revealed for security reasons, recently ordered the government to quickly finalize arrangements for auctioning the properties, which were seized earlier this year.
The investigators said authorities published advertisement in Pakistani newspapers to determine if there were any claims to the properties.
Money collected through the auction will go to the government. The investigators said the value of the properties, which include small apartments and plots, was estimated to be about $200,000.
Mansour's killing strained relations between Pakistan and United States at the time, as Islamabad said Washington unilaterally targeted Mansour in violation of international laws and the country's sovereign.
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Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.
