The New York Times reports Coalition forces may have captured, Mullah Dadullah, one of the most important and brutal Taliban commanders in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar. Mullah Dadullah was a member of the Taliban's 10-man leadership council before the US-led invasion in 2001:
The governor of Kandahar confirmed that a very senior Taliban commander was among three members of the leadership council of the insurgent movement who had been captured, but said he could not identify him for reasons of security.
The capture of Mullah Dadullah would be a significant success as United States-led coalition and the Afghan government continue to battle the Taleban die-hards across the provinces of southern Afghanistan.
According to the BBC , Mullah Dadullah is very close to the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar and has been blamed for much of the recent violence in the southern provinces.
Good news indeed.
UPDATE: U.S. raises doubts about capture.
A U.S. military spokesman said that after checking with coalition officials, it appeared the detained man was not Dadullah:
“The best information I have — and I could be wrong — but the best information I have is that it’s a ’no,”’ he said.
UPDATE II: A man claiming to be Dadullah telephoned Reuters late on Friday and denied he had been caught:
"I am Mullah Dadullah. The reports about my arrest are ... a pack of blatant lies," said the man, who sounded like Dadullah.
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