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Pakistan holds Taliban spokesman | Pakistan holds Taliban spokesman |
(30 minutes later) | |
The top Taliban spokesman in Pakistan has been arrested by security forces in the north-west of the country, army officials say. | |
Muslim Khan was recently appointed chief spokesman after the arrest last month of the Taliban's previous spokesman Maulvi Omar. | Muslim Khan was recently appointed chief spokesman after the arrest last month of the Taliban's previous spokesman Maulvi Omar. |
The army said four other Taliban leaders were also detained. | |
Mr Khan is from the Swat valley, where army declared its anti-Taliban offensive a success in July. | Mr Khan is from the Swat valley, where army declared its anti-Taliban offensive a success in July. |
The military said Mr Khan was apprehended after a "successful operation" | |
The militant spokesman had a reward of 10 million rupees ($121,000) on his head. | The militant spokesman had a reward of 10 million rupees ($121,000) on his head. |
As the official spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), correspondents say Mr Khan was an important figure in the regional network of Pakistani militant groups. | As the official spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), correspondents say Mr Khan was an important figure in the regional network of Pakistani militant groups. |
The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says this is a significant milestone for the army's operation in Swat. | |
One of the chief criticisms of the military operation there has been that it failed to net the top Taliban leadership in the region, our correspondent says. | |
The Taliban in Pakistan recently confirmed the death of its leader, Baitullah Mehsud, who was reported to have been killed by a US missile strike earlier this month. | |
Militant commander Hakimullah Mehsud was named as his successor. |