(25 Dec 2013)
4:3 Pakistani Taliban commander Latif Mehsud arrested by US forces in Afghanistan
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File
FILE: Waziristan Pakistan Tribal Area - 4 October 2009
1 : Mid of Taliban Head Hakimullah Mehsud (middle, wearing white) walking with Latif Mehsud (far left, brown waistcoat, cream coloured trousers), Latif was reportedly arrested by US forces in Afghanistan last Saturday
2 : Hakimullah Mehsud entering building accompanied by Latif Mehsud and others
3 : Mid of Taliban deputy leader Waliur Rehman (who was subsequently killed in a drone attack) firing machine gun, while Latif Mehsud stands behind with assault rifle
4 : Mid of group including Hakimullah Mehsud and Latif Mehsud
Province governor confirms arrest of Pakistan Taliban leader Latif Mehsud
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Mohammad Agha, 12 Oct 2013
5. Wide of Mohammad Agha district police compound
Intelligence officials say leader of Pakistani Taliban Hakimullah Mehsud killed in drone strike
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FILE: Orakzai Agency - November 2008
6. Pakistani Taliban commander Hakimullah Mehsud (third from left in light brown shawl) walking at the front of group
7. Mehsud greeting supporters
8. Mehsud giving statement, surrounded by masked Taliban
Three killed and 14 wounded in bombing at restaurant
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Kandahar - 20 Nov 2013
++NIGHT SHOTS++
9. Mid of police at the explosion site
10. Close of blood stain on carpets
11. police examining site
US Embassy in Kabul attacked on Christmas Day
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Kabul - 25 Dec 2013
12. rious of US Embassy compound in Kabul
13 Afghan police at site where three Afghan police officers were wounded in roadside bombing
STORYLINE:
On October 11th 2013 US troops are holding a senior Pakistani Taliban commander they captured in Afghanistan a week ago, an Afghan provincial official said.
The capture could be a significant blow to the Pakistani Taliban, who have waged a decade-long insurgency against Islamabad from sanctuaries along the Afghan border.
They have also helped the Afghan Taliban in their war against US-led NATO troops in Afghanistan.
Latif Mehsud was arrested by American forces as he was driving along a main highway in eastern Logar province's district of Mohammad Agha, said the Logar governor, Arsallah Jamal.
The road links the province with the Afghan capital, Kabul.
Mehsud has served as a senior deputy to Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud.
The Pakistani Taliban confirmed the capture, but claimed Mehsud was seized by the Afghan army at the Ghulam Khan border crossing in the eastern province of Khost on October 5th.
He was returning from a meeting to discuss swapping Afghan prisoners for money, said Pakistani Taliban commanders and intelligence officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media.
Mehsud, believed to be around 30 years-old, once served as Hakimullah Mehsud's driver but eventually worked his way up the ranks to become a trusted deputy.
The two are not related and Mehsud is a common name in the region.
Jamal said Mehsud was in a car with two or three other men when the US military arrested him.
The US military in Kabul referred all question to the Department of Defence in Washington.
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A US drone strike killed the leader of the Pakistani Taliban on November 1st, US and Pakistani officials said, in a report that if confirmed would be a major blow to the group that comes just a day after the government said it started peace talks with the militants.
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Kandahar is considered the birthplace of the Taliban.
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