A senior commander of the Taliban-allied Haqqani network in Afghanistan, who is also the uncle of its leader, had been captured, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said on Saturday.
The announcement of Haji Mali Khan's capture comes as the U.S. steps up pressure on Afghanistan's neighbour Pakistan to act against the Haqqanis, linked to al-Qaeda and blamed for a string of attacks on western targets.
“Security forces detained Haji Mali Khan, uncle of Siraj and Badruddin Haqqani and the senior Haqqani commander in Afghanistan,” the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement.
Khan was captured close to Afghanistan's porous border with Pakistan in Paktiya province on Tuesday, it added, hailing the detention as “a significant milestone” in disrupting Haqqani operations.
“He reportedly worked directly under Siraj Haqqani, and managed bases and had oversight of operations in both Afghanistan and Pakistan,” ISAF said.
“Mali Khan moved forces from Pakistan to Afghanistan to conduct terrorist activity. Jalaluddin Haqqani consistently placed Mali Khan in positions of high importance.” Haqqani is a member of the Taliban's supreme council but his son Sirajuddin now effectively runs the network. ISAF added that Khan had acted as an emissary between the al-Qaeda-linked Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud and Haqqani leaders.
