The top military commander of the Taliban has reportedly been captured in Karachi, Pakistan, during a secret raid by US and Pakistani intelligence forces.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar — the highest-ranking Taliban figure to be caught since the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan — functions as the group’s second in command, The Wall Street Journal reported last night.
Baradar is close to al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden and to the Taliban’s spiritual leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar.
Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency led the operation to capture Baradar, with the CIA’s involvement, and he is being interrogated, the Journal said.
His arrest has proved to be “really valuable,” an unidentified official said. Another said Baradar had been in custody for about two weeks and was “providing intelligence information . . . It’s a very significant takedown.”
The CIA and the White House declined to comment. The Taliban denied the reports.
News of Baradar’s capture came as American, British and Afghan forces continue a massive push against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
On the third day of the offensive, US Marines were slowed by fierce gun battles, booby traps and sniper fire.
Afghan army officials claimed 35 Taliban fighters had been killed and huge caches of enemy weapons and raw opium were seized in the massive sweep to recapture the guerrillas’ last stronghold in Helmand province.
But the progress came at an agonizingly slow pace, as US officials conceded the Marines advanced only 500 yards in Marjah yesterday.
“There’s still a good bit of the land still to be cleared,” said Capt. Abraham Sipe, a Marine spokesman. “We’re moving at a very deliberative pace.”
The US-led forces have tried twice to reach the Marjah bazaar, the last major Taliban outpost in the area, but were pushed back.
Marines blamed the slow progress on massive amounts of buried bombs and “spray-and-pray” tactics, in which retreating Taliban fighters turned and fired assault rifles as they dropped back.
They also were harassed by sniper teams. One armored column came under fire from at least three separate teams, including one that fired from as close as about 150 feet of the Marines.
US forces had to call for support from Harrier jets and attack helicopters, firing Hellfire missiles, as they fought several major gun battles. One lasted more than an hour.
“It’s a pretty busy day, but we expected that because we are penetrating,” said Lt. Col. Brian Christmas, commander of 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines.
US forces are also constrained by new rules of engagement that say they can’t fire at people unless they commit a hostile act or show hostile intent.
“I understand the reason behind it, but it’s so hard to fight a war like this,” said Lance Cpl. Travis Anderson, 20, from Altoona, Iowa. With AP