ISI and CIA Captures Taliban’s 2nd in Command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in a Joint operation

The Taliban’s 2^nd in command, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, was captured several days ago in Karachi, Pakistan, in a joint operation conducted by the Pakistani and US intelligence forces, according to US government officials. Only few details of the operation are released so far, but officials said that it had been carried out by Pakistan’s military spy agency, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, and that CIA operative had accompanied the Pakistanis.

Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, is described as the most significant Taliban figure to be detained since the American-led war against terrorism in Afghanistan started more than eight years ago. He ranked 2^nd in influence only to Mullah Muhammad Omar, the Taliban’s founder and current leader, and was a close associate of Osama bin Laden before the September 11 attacks.

According to the The New York Times and other media, Mulla Abdul Ghani Baradar was arrested in Karachi “several days ago” by the US and Pakistani intelligence services and was being interrogated by both US and Pakistani intelligence officials.This disclosure of Baradar’s capture came as 15,000 US, Nato and Afghan forces have staged a major offensive in southern Afghanistan.

Posted in: Afghanistan,Fighting Al Qaeda and Taliban