A high-ranking member of the Taliban-backed Haqqani militant network, Haji Mali Khan, has been captured in Afghanistan during a security operation by Afghan and coalition forces, NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Saturday.
Mali Khan, who is an uncle of Haqqani's leader, Siraj Haqqani, apart from being the senior commander in Afghanistan for the Haqqani network, also served as an emissary between the Haqqani clan and the former head of the Pakistani Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud, who was killed in a suspected NATO missile attack in 2009.
The captured militant was responsible for money transfers for militant operations and setting up bases in Afghani Paktia province, ISAF said in a statement.
During the operation that was held on Tuesday in Paktia, Mali Khan did not resist though being heavily armed, ISAF added.
ISAF said that "the capture of Haji Mali Khan marks a significant milestone in the disruption of the Haqqani network."
Haqqani network, which is near to be labeled as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. officials, is believed to be responsible for the recent major terrorist attacks, including a September's attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and the assassination of former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani on September 20.
