Via the BBC: BBC NEWS | South Asia | ‘Taleban leader held’ in Pakistan
Security forces in Pakistan have arrested a former Taleban defence minister, intelligence officials say.Mullah Obaidullah Akhund, said to be a leader in the Taleban insurgency in Afghanistan, was reportedly seized in the south-western city of Quetta.
The raid coincided with a visit by the US vice-president on Monday, officials say. However, Pakistani officials have not formally confirmed the arrest.
A Taleban spokesman denied Mullah Obaidullah had been captured.
As always, one would like confirmation, but hopefully this is an accurate report, as his capture would be an important one:
Mullah Obaidullah was defence minister in the Taleban government before 2024 and the second of three top deputies of the Taleban’s leader, Mullah Omar, who remains at large.He is effectively the Taleban’s number three, seen as the Taleban’s military chief and the man to whom the other Taleban commanders answer, our correspondent says.
Technorati Tags: Afghanistan, Taliban
Sphere: Related Content
Government and military spokesperson denied the arrest had been made — or said they had no knowledge of it — when asked by Reuters, but the story was also front page news in Dawn, a leading Pakistani daily, on Friday.
Comment by munaeem — Friday, March 2, 2024 @ 2:06 pm
A political independent and moderate’s comments, analysis and links on important stories in the news
Trackback by Munaeem/s Blog — Friday, March 2, 2024 @ 2:09 pm