Pakistan captures key Taliban commander
High-ranking Taliban leader is first major catch since Pakistan military launched offensive in North Waziristan.
The Pakistani military has captured a high-ranking Taliban commander who once tried to assassinate former president Pervez Musharraf and later escaped jail with hundreds of other prisoners, security officials have said.
Adnan Rashid was captured on Friday in a house where he was living with his family in northwest Pakistan's mountainous region bordering Afghanistan, the officials said on Tuesday. He was injured in a shootout during the arrest.
Rashid, captured in the Wana area of South Waziristan, is the first major Taliban commander captured since the military launched an offensive in neighbouring North Waziristan last month. The army says it will drive Taliban fighters from their key strongholds in the region.
He was arrested along with a local key al-Qaeda commander, Mufti Zubair Marwat, according to intelligence sources.
Rashid is also accused of taking part in several attacks on key government installations, including Kamra air base.
The latest offensive followed years of pressure on Pakistan by its NATO allies to crack down on Taliban havens in tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.
But local residents said that most rebels moved out well before ground troops arrived.
More than half a million civilians have fled their homes since the military offensive began last month. Government figures show more than 900,000 have sought aid, although that also indicates fraud and duplications.