Senior Taliban commander said to be arrested in Pakistan

Pakistan

Taliban commander said to be arrested

Pakistani intelligence agents have arrested a senior Afghan Taliban commander, officials said Thursday, the latest move in a crackdown against the insurgent network in Pakistan.

Agha Jan Mutassim, a finance minister in the Taliban government before the U.S-led invasion in 2001, was detained in the southern city of Karachi, two intelligence officials said. They did not say when, and they spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to give their names to the media.

Pakistani and Afghan officials have said at least four other Afghan Taliban leaders have been arrested in Pakistan in recent weeks, including the No. 2 leader, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. The arrests have been hailed by U.S. officials and many analysts as a major blow to the Taliban in Afghanistan, though they caution that the group has rebounded from the death or detention of previous leaders.

Also on Thursday, officials said 30 insurgents and one soldier had been killed overnight in a gun battle sparked when militants attacked a security checkpoint in the Mohmand tribal region of northwest Pakistan. The area borders the Bajur tribal region, where the army said Tuesday it had defeated Taliban and al-Qaeda militants after more than a year and a half of fighting.

-- Associated Press

BRITAIN

Tighter rules for war-crime cases

Britain said Thursday that it will restrict citizens' right to seek arrests for alleged war crimes after diplomatic protests about a warrant for the arrest of former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni over the Gaza Strip conflict. The warrant was withdrawn after Livni canceled a visit to London in December. She has not tried to visit Britain since.

A court issued the warrant at the request of attorneys for Palestinians in Gaza, British news media reported. Under British law, individuals can start criminal prosecutions, including for alleged international war crimes, by applying for a court summons or arrest warrant.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw said the government would restrict that ability to prosecutors.