Senior Pakistan Taliban Commander Arrested; US Drone Strike Kills 15 Militants
A senior commander in the Pakistani Taliban, who is linked to the 2003 assassination attempt of former President Pervez Musharraf, was reportedly captured and arrested by Pakistani security forces.
On Friday, Adnan Rashid, a former Pakistan Air Force officer-turned-militant, was arrested during a raid on a militant hideout in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region, said two intelligence officials, according to The Associated Press.
Rashid was sentenced to death in 2003 for his role in the plot to assassinate President Musharraf. However, he escaped from a prison along with almost 400 inmates during a jailbreak in 2012, reports The Nation.
The following year, he helped organize a jail attack in August that freed 175 prisoners, including 35 senior Taliban militants.
He was reportedly arrested by the Pakistan Army after he suffered from an injury during an earlier strike in North Waziristan. The Pakistani media has reported the arrest although the army has not officially confirmed it.
"The troops raided a home in the town of Shakai in the South Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan. Three associates of Rashid were also captured, and were being questioning at an undisclosed location, the officials said," reports the AP.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) accused pro-government group Mullah Nazir to be behind the "conspiracy" of Rashid's arrest and providing authorities with tips.
"The sources said that Rashid was shifted to an undisclosed location through a helicopter. The TTP has distributed a pamphlet in parts of South Waziristan, saying they would take revenge of the arrest of their leader," reports The Nation.
On Wednesday, a U.S. drone strike killed at least 15 militants near the country's border with Afghanistan.
The drone fired four missiles at a militant-hideout in the town of in Datta Khel in North Waziristan, said two Pakistani officials said. However, the identity and nationality of the victims have not been revealed.
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