Security forces here captured and wounded a top Afghan Taliban commander early on Monday, police said. Mansoor Dadullah, brother of slain military commander in Afghanistan, Mulla Dadullah, and four others were seized in south-western Balochistan province, provincial police chief Saud Gohar said.
The announcement came amid a slew of warnings from US officials that senior militant leaders were operating in Pakistan's border areas and posing a threat to security throughout the region.
Dadullah "has been wounded and arrested early this morning. He resisted when our men launched an operation," in the village of Gowal Ismail Zai, near the Afghan border, Gohar told AFP. "We had reports of his presence from intelligence sources... He was hiding in a house in the village. Four others were also arrested, including three guards of Dadullah," the police chief added. Some women and children were also in the house, and authorities were investigating their links to the detained commander, a security source said.
In Kabul, Afghan defence ministry spokesman, General Mohammad Zahir Azimi, welcomed the news of Dadullah's capture, but would not comment further. A senior Afghan official said that reports received by the government suggested that the capture was linked to a dispute between Dadullah and the Taliban's central command.