Pakistan braces for Taliban backlash after arrest

[maddezmom]

~snip~

The arrest of Mullah Obaidullah Akhund, a member of Taliban supremo Mullah Mohammad Omar's inner circle, was disclosed to Reuters by several security officials, though it has not been confirmed by Pakistani authorities.

~snip~

The timing of the arrest, just hours after an unannounced visit by U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and a senior CIA officer, is awkward for Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, as he does not want to be seen to be acting under pressure given the extent of anti-American sentiment in the country.

Reports of Akhund's arrest in the Pakistani media, with the exception of the Dawn newspaper, have been scanty.

One of the reason why the authorities are staying quiet is fear of a backlash from militants and Islamist political parties opposed to Musharraf, according to officials.

"It could lead to security problems, as Taliban present in the country could react," said a security officer in Baluchistan.

more:http://mobile.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP203098.htm

US, Pakistani agents interrogate Taliban leader

~snip~

Mullah Obaidullah Akhund, who had a one-million-dollar bounty on his head posted by the US Central Intelligence Agency ( CIA), was arrested with four other suspects on Wednesday in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta.

Pakistani officials said Akhund, a key aide to Taliban supremo Mullah Mohammad Omar and an insurgent commander in southern Afghanistan, was flown to the capital Islamabad by helicopter after his capture.

"He is being interrogated by a joint team of Pakistani and US officials in Islamabad," a senior security official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The official did not specify which US agency the officials were from, although the CIA and Federal Bureau of Investigation are operating in Pakistan in small numbers.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070303/wl_asia_afp/pakistanafghanistanunresttalibanarrest_070303085103

[ohio2007]

1. Paki's will categorically deny the arrest yet....

are willing to collect the $1,000,000 bounty on his head ?
I'd like to see who will be cashing that bounty hunter check .