Self-Proclaimed Spokesman for the Taliban Is Held by Pakistan
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KABUL, Afghanistan — The self-proclaimed Taliban spokesman, known for making wild claims about purported Taliban attacks, has been arrested in Pakistan, officials said.
Mullah Abdul Hakim Latifi was captured in Baluchistan province, just over the border from southern Afghanistan, Pakistani government spokesman Sheik Rashid Ahmed told reporters in Islamabad, the capital.
Several former top Taliban leaders remain at large, and many observers speculate that they are hiding in the tribal areas of Pakistan, a major backer of the Taliban regime until the U.S.-led coalition drove it from power in late 2001. Pakistani authorities have arrested many members of the Al Qaeda terrorist network, but top Taliban leaders have remained elusive.
Pakistani officials have long insisted that they do not support Taliban rebels.
Latifi gained fame only recently. He was not a major figure during the Taliban regime, two former Taliban members said Tuesday.
In late 2003, Latifi started talking to the news media, purportedly on the Taliban’s behalf.
But Latifi’s claims rarely were verifiable.
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