Pakistani forces arrest Taliban commander
Trefor Moss JDW Asia-Pacific Editor - London
Pakistani security forces captured a Taliban commander on 12 February following a battle in Baluchistan near the Afghan border.
Mansoor Dadullah - whose brother Mullah Dadullah was the Taliban's top military commander until he was killed by NATO forces in Helmand province in May 2007 - was severely injured during the battle.
Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas confirmed that six militants had been captured as they tried to cross the border into Pakistan and denied rumours that Dadullah had been killed.
Dadullah had taken over his brother's command in 2007, although he was reported to have been replaced in December following disagreements with the Taliban leadership. He was then arrested by the Afghan government, only to be released as part of a prisoner exchange with the Taliban.
ANALYSIS
This notable success for Pakistan's security forces comes amid mounting international pressure on Islamabad to clamp down on Taliban activity inside its territory, which borders Afghanistan and is used by insurgents as a springboard for attacks against NATO forces. However, Dadullah's fall from grace from the Taliban hierarchy made it questionable as to how seriously his capture would disrupt insurgent operations in the border region.