Taliban's military chief captured: report

The Taliban’s top military commander has been captured in Karachi, Pakistan, in a secret joint operation by Pakistani and American intelligence forces, the New York Times reported Monday.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is an Afghan described by American officials as the most significant Taliban figure to be detained since the war in Afghanistan started more than eight years ago. He ranks second in influence only to Mullah Muhammad Omar, the Taliban’s founder and a close associate of Osama bin Laden before the Sept. 11 attacks.

Mullah Baradar has been in Pakistani custody for several days, with American and Pakistani intelligence officials both taking part in interrogations, the newspaper said, citing American government officials.

His capture could cripple the Taliban’s military operations, at least in the short term, said Bruce O. Riedel, a U.S. Central Intelligence Agency veteran who last spring led the Obama administration’s Afghanistan and Pakistan policy review.

Details of the raid remain murky, but officials said that it had been carried out by Pakistan’s military spy agency, accompanied by CIA operatives.

The Times said it learned of the operation on Thursday, but delayed reporting it at the request of White House officials, who said making it public would end a hugely successful intelligence-gathering effort.

The newspaper said it published the news Monday because the officials acknowledged that Mullah Baradar's capture was becoming widely known in the region.