last week during a raid secretly carried out by Pakistani and U.S.
intelligence operatives, officials from the two countries said Monday.
The arrest of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar deals a serious blow to the
The loss of Baradar would deprive the
“It is going to be a big deal, certainly a major
blow,” a senior Pakistani military official said, speaking of the
capture on condition of anonymity.
The arrest may also represent an intelligence coup for
A spokesman for the
“We totally deny this rumor. He has not been
arrested,” Zabiullah Mujahid said by telephone. He called the report
Western propaganda.
But officials said Baradar was arrested in the port city of
Baradar is in Pakistani custody, but many details
about the operation remained unclear late Monday, including precisely
when he was captured and whether he is cooperating. The Obama
administration has said it no longer engages in such interrogation
methods as water boarding; Pakistani authorities have been known to use
harsh questioning tactics in the past.
overseas interrogations of suspected terrorists. But their comments
appear to have preceded the capture of Baradar, who was a close
associate of
Baradar is the highest-ranking
militant to be captured since the fighting began. He is perhaps the
closest aide to Mullah Omar, and their association dates back to the
movement’s earliest days.
But even while professing fealty to Mullah Omar, and
consistently invoking his authority when dealing with others in the
movement, Baradar is believed to have a much greater hands-on role than
his chief in masterminding military operations and disbursing
With the reclusive-minded Mullah Omar having
retreated into something of a figurehead role, Baradar has been the
principal power in the so-called Quetta shura, the main
decision-making body, named for the southern Pakistani city in which it
is based. Baradar has a reputation for ruthlessness, but is also
described as a charismatic figure who has good rapport with
He is also far better versed in technology and world
affairs than the unschooled Mullah Omar, who in many respects is
considered little changed from his days as a village cleric.
Baradar has been an advocate of many of the
insurgent tactics that have made the last year the deadliest yet for
U.S. and coalition forces in
also speaking on condition of anonymity. Those tactics include expanded
use of homemade bombs, the singling out of vulnerable U.S. bases and
patrols for ambushes and raids, the eschewing of efforts to hold
territory in favor of mobility and quickness, and the avoidance of
head-on confrontations with better armed-Western forces in favor of
melting away and regrouping.
The Pakistani military official said Baradar’s
capture could bolster the U.S. aim of weakening the Afghan Taliban to
sap its support and convince less committed elements to leave it.
“Everything you are doing is to start negotiation
from a position of strength, and you are gradually getting that
strength,” the official said. Pakistani and Saudi Arabian intelligence
officials have had secret talks with
Baradar’s arrest was first reported Monday night by
officials said that doing so could jeopardize intelligence-gathering.
The paper said it published its story Monday night because the arrest
was becoming more widely known in the region.
The capture signals a potentially major change of course for the Pakistani government.
U.S. officials have accused
of secretly providing support to the Afghan Taliban in an effort to
maintain ties to the group in case the militants are able to reclaim
power next door.
proved far more willing to pursue members of the Pakistani Taliban,
which has carried out deadly attacks inside that country aimed at
destabilizing
The capture of Baradar is likely to raise expectations that
may be prepared to move more aggressively against Mullah Omar and other
top members of the Afghan Taliban movement, which is believed to be
based primarily in Quetta.
The Pakistani military official downplayed suggestions that the capture signified a new direction for the government in
“I wouldn’t say it is a turning point,” the official said, adding that
has always been committed to rooting out militants and that it has
become more convinced recently of U.S. commitment to the region.
The
Intelligence agency have cooperated on a series of high-level captures,
most notably in the years after the
Those raids almost always took place in major
Pakistani cities, far from the more rugged and lawless tribal regions
along the Afghan border where Bin Laden and others are believed to have
taken refuge. But there have been few significant captures in recent
years, and the U.S. has instead relied on an intense campaign of
missile strikes from unmanned aircraft against
—
(c)2010, Tribune Co.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
