Taliban No. 2 Offical Captured In Afghanistan War

San Francisco Feb 16, (THEWILL) - Pakistani and US intelligence agencies have captured a top Taliban commander, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in a joint secret operation executed some days ago in Karachi, Pakistan, according to the United States government.

Mullah Abdul is said to be the most significant detainee since the Afghan war began. According to a report in the New York Times, "Mullah 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," the paper said.

US officials hope his capture would lead them to Mullah Omar, the one eyed cleric and spiritual leader of the Taliban and other top members.

Mullah's capture could stall the group's military capabilities. He is believed to run the group's military operations and the leadership council. Both US and Pakistani intelligence are interrogating him.

The paper said it got information on the operation on Thursday last week but delayed publishing it due to a White House request because Taliban leaders had been unaware of his capture.