Afghan intelligence officials arrest senior commander of Pakistani Taliban

By Amir Shah

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

KABUL, Afghanistan — Officials say a senior Pakistan Taliban commander who was hiding out in eastern Afghanistan has been arrested.

An Afghan security official said on Tuesday that Maulvi Faqir Mohammed was arrested over the weekend in eastern Nangarhar province near the Pakistani frontier.

Two Pakistani intelligence officials also confirmed the capture over the weekend. All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Mohammed, who was a top commander of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, fell out with the Taliban’s leadership in 2011 for saying the group was in peace negotiations with the Pakistani government.

The Taliban recently claimed it has patched up relations with him after the group announced that it was now ready to talk with the government.

05:32ET 19-02-13