Afghans tried to court Pakistani militant seized by U.S.
Source: Reuters
The U.S. apprehension of a Pakistani Taliban commander last month came during a failed attempt by Afghan officials to form an alliance with his militant group, a Western official said on Tuesday, confirming some details in a New York Times report.
The United States this month confirmed the arrest of Latif Mehsud, a trusted deputy to Pakistani Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, during a military operation that heightened tensions with the Western-backed government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
The Times reported on Tuesday that the United States staged the operation to seize Mehsud after being tipped off about the plan by Afghan intelligence officials to try to work with the Pakistani Taliban and later use that as leverage against Pakistan.
It quoted two Afghan officials saying that they had struck a tentative deal with Mehsud: Afghanistan would not harass Pakistani Taliban fighters along the border if they did not attack Afghan forces.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/29/cnews-us-afghanistan-pakistan-taliban-idCABRE99S1EF20131029
Original NYT report from today's paper: U.S. Disrupts Afghans’ Tack on Militants
