Afghanistan - News and Discussion

[ramana]

Couple of reports from Nightwatch.

Pakistan-Afghanistan: Security. Pakistani officials said they have arrested seven of the 15 members of the Quetta Shura, the Afghan Taliban's senior leadership council, the Christian Science Monitor reported today. Officials said that in addition to the previously reported arrests of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Maulavi Abdul Kabir and Mullah Muhammad Younis, arrests were made of Mullah Abdul Qayoum Zakir, who oversees the movement’s military affairs, Mullah Muhammad Hassan, Mullah Ahmed Jan Akhunzada and Mullah Abdul Raouf. {Total seven out of Fifteen}





If accurate the Pakistan-based leadership of the Afghan Taliban movement has been effectively decapitated. The remainder must be relocating daily to prevent capture. That reinforces the hypothesis that Pakistan has decided to reassert and protect its national security interest in Afghanistan by way of influencing power sharing negotiations.



Pakistan-Afghanistan: Afghanistan’s Pajhwok news agency reported today that Pakistani officials have assured they would hand over the seized Taliban leaders, including Taliban deputy Mullah Berader, to the Afghan government after the latter demanded their custody.



Mullah Abdol Ghani Beradar, deputy to Taliban leader Mullah Muhammad Omar, and Mullah Abdossalam were arrested by security forces from Karachi and Faisalabad in Pakistan. An official of the Interior Ministry in Pakistan, who did not want to be named, told Pajhwok Afghan News that Afghan Interior Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar visited Pakistan and discussed the issue with his Pakistani counterpart.



He said Atmar demanded the Pakistani officials hand over the arrested Taliban leaders to the Afghan government. He said the Pakistani authorities had assured they would soon transfer the detainees into the custody of Afghan authorities, after Pakistan completes its interrogations.



Atmar is visiting Pakistan to attend a tripartite meeting among officials from Pakistan, Afghanistan and the United States. The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Robert Muller is also visiting Pakistan.



When contacted for comments, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry Zmaray Bashari said it would be premature to mention that the arrested Taliban leaders would be handed over to Afghanistan in the near future.



Comment: Discussions today with Brilliant and Knowledgeable Readers theorized that if Pakistan hands Berader to the Afghans that would suggest a trade for value. Pakistan would expect to be consulted, if not included, in power sharing talks. Berader, in this scenario, is acting as the emissary of Mullah Omar, but his transfer to Afghan custody is the perfect cover story for his acting as the go-between, with Pakistani assistance, to be sure.