The Afghan Taliban have announced a replacement for leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour who was killed in a US drone strike.

In a statement, the Taliban acknowledged Mansour's death for the first time and named his successor as Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada.

Mansour was killed at 4.30pm on Saturday in Dahl Bandin, a district in Pakistan's Baluchistan province just over the border with Afghanistan.

President Obama authorised the strikes against Taliban leader.