Pakistani security forces have arrested two key Pakistani Taliban commanders, an official says

QUETTA, Pakistan – Pakistani security forces have arrested two key commanders of the Pakistani Taliban in the country’s restive southwest, an official said Wednesday.

Balochistan Provincial Interior Minister Ziaullah Langau congratulated security forces for “saving the country from possible high-profile attacks” by arresting the militants, whom he identified as Commander Nasrullah and Commander Idress.

He said the arrests were a significant boost for the Pakistani government and part of a “sophisticated, intelligence-based operation.” The government announced this week the start of a nationwide crackdown on insurgents.

The arrests came amid a wave of attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, a separate group but allied with the Afghan Taliban, which seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops were in the final stages of withdrawing from the country after 20 years of war.

At a press conference in Quetta, Langau released a video message from Nasrullah in which he said he was part of the Pakistani Taliban for 16 years, including several years spent in Afghanistan evading Pakistani military operations. He claimed the group, as well as Baloch separatists, were supported by the Afghan Taliban government.

In March, five Chinese engineers were killed when a suicide bomber attacked their vehicle in the northwest. Pakistan said the attack was planned in Afghanistan and that the bomber was an Afghan national. The Afghan government and Pakistani militants denied the allegations.

In Balochistan, where small-scale nationalist insurgency has been taking place for more than two decades, Baloch insurgents have also targeted the Chinese. They originally wanted a larger share of the province’s resources but now seek independence. The Pakistani Taliban and other homegrown militant groups are also active in the province.