Pakistan captures Toro Boro Front leader

Bill Roggio:

Pakistani police reportedly have captured a senior Afghan Taliban leader behind attacks in eastern Afghanistan.

Anwarul Haq Mujahid, the commander of the Tora Bora Military Front, was detained during a raid in Peshawar, according to reports in The News and Pajhwok Afghan News. Mujahid was reportedly detained with his two cousins, Shumsul Islam and Dr. Qalandar, as he was in Peshawar for medical treatment. The Pakistani police, military and government hav enot made an official announcement of Mujahid's arrest.

Mujahid is the son of Maulvi Mohammed Yunis Khalis, a senior mujahideen leader based in the eastern province of Nangarhar who was famous for battling the Soviet Union during the occupation from 1979-1989. Jalaluddin Haqqani, the leader of the deadly Haqqani Network, served as a commander under Khan.

Yunis Khalis was also instrumental in welcoming Osama bin Laden into Afghanistan after he was ejected from the Sudan in 1996. Haji Abdul Qadir, one of Khalis' top three military commanders, was instrumental in aiding bin Laden with returning to Afghanistan. Khalis also helped lay the groundwork for Osama bin Laden's escape from Afghanistan through the Tora Bora Mountains during the battle in December 2001.

Khalis went into hiding after rejoining the Taliban to battle the US. He died in July 2006 and was succeeded by his son, Mujahid, who also took control of the Hizb-i-Islami Khalis, a faction of the fractious Hizb-i-Islami Afghanistan political party.

Mujahid established the Tora Bora Military Front, which he later publicized in February 2007 after his spokesman made an announcement. The group, which operates primarily in Nangarhar province, is responsible for several deadly attacks, including the April 2008 suicide strike and ambush against a drug eradication team operating in the district of Khogiani.

There is much more.

Hopefully Pakistan will turn this guy over to the US or Afghans. Roggio notes the Pakistanis do not have a good track record of holding Taliban leaders. They also recently released the leader of a terrorist group tied to the Mumbai attacks.

The capture suggest that the sanctuaries on the Pakistan side of the border are not as secure as they have been in the past.

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