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Top Taliban arrested in Pakistan | Top Taliban arrested in Pakistan |
(20 minutes later) | |
One of the highest ranking Taliban officials in Pakistan has been arrested with four other militants in the country's north-west, officials say. | |
Muslim Khan was recently appointed chief spokesman after the arrest last month of the Taliban's previous spokesman, Maulvi Omar. | |
One of the most wanted men in Pakistan, he is also one of the Taliban's most senior commanders in the Swat valley. | |
The army declared its recent offensive there a success in July. | |
The BBC's M Ilyas Khan in Islamabad says this is a significant milestone for the army's operation in Swat. | 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. | 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 whereabouts and fate of the Taliban leader in Swat, Maulana Fazlullah, is currently unknown. | |
After reports that he was close to death earlier this year after being seriously wounded, Muslim Khan contacted the BBC to say the Taliban chief was "alive and healthy". | |
Just one month later Mr Khan was himself appointed the chief spokesman of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the regional network of militant groups. | |
The military said Mr Khan was apprehended after a "successful operation" | |
He was detained along with fellow militant Mahmood Khan, also reported to be one of the most senior Taliban commanders in Swat. | |
The militants had rewards of 10 million rupees ($121,000) on their heads. | |
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. | 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. | Militant commander Hakimullah Mehsud was named as his successor. |