Pakistan on Wednesday confirmed the capture of the Taliban's top military commander Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, whose removal could deal a heavy blow to the militia's eight-year war in Afghanistan.
It is the most important Taliban arrest since the 2001 US-led invasion brought down the militia for sheltering Al-Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks but dragged the United States into an increasingly deadly and costly conflict.
In Kabul, visiting US envoy Richard Holbrooke said Baradar "got caught" and welcomed the arrest as a "significant development" but gave no details.
The involvement of Pakistan -- suspected by the West of supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan -- could also herald a new era in US efforts to persuade Islamabad to move aggressively against Islamist networks in both countries.
The military confirmed Baradar had been arrested, but made no mention of US reports that he was captured "several days ago" in Pakistan's financial capital Karachi in a joint operation with US spies and was being interrogated.
"At the conclusion of detailed identification procedure, it has been confirmed that one of the persons arrested happens to be Mullah Baradar," said military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas.
"Place of arrest and operational details cannot be released due to security reasons," he told AFP, without giving further details.
The Afghan-born Baradar is known as a powerful military chief and trusted aide to the Taliban's one-eyed and elusive leader Mullah Mohammad Omar
. Profile of Baradar: Taliban founding father
Confirmation of Baradar's detention came just hours before US President Barack Obama was to meet his war cabinet to discuss Afghanistan and a major offensive on a key Taliban bastion that has run into stiff resistance.
Obama was to meet in the White House's Situation Room with Vice President Joe Biden, Defence Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, General David Petraeus, head of US Central Command, and top officials.
General Stanley McChrystal, ground commander of the 113,000 US-led and NATO troops fighting against the Taliban across Afghanistan, was to join the meeting via video conference, the White House said.
The White House on Tuesday refused to confirm Baradar's arrest, but said it welcomed better cooperation between Washington and Islamabad.
"We've seen an increase in Pakistani pushback on extremists in their own country, which I think is beneficial not simply for us," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters.
US officials had long complained that Islamabad's spy service was failing to crack down on the Afghan Taliban but had recently refrained from public criticism while Washington doled out billions in military and civilian aid.
Baradar's detention also exposed the presence of Afghan Taliban leaders in Pakistan. Despite Pakistani denials, the leadership is widely reported to be headquartered in Quetta, the capital of southwestern Baluchistan province.
"This arrest is very significant. It is a major setback for the Taliban. It will have a demoralising effect on them, something in the favour of both the United States and Pakistan," said Pakistani political analyst Hasan Askari.
"It will also help advance President Obama's new strategy in Afghanistan. There appears to be a shift in the Pakistan army's policy," he added.
India recently offered to resume dialogue with Pakistan, going some way under US pressure to easing Pakistani fears about its arch rival, and Askari suggested the army was willing to make concessions on the Taliban.
The Taliban have denied Baradar's capture and accused US officials of trying to deflect attention from a major offensive in southern Afghanistan, where 15,000 US, NATO and Afghan troops are trying to capture a Taliban stronghold.
"He is currently in Afghanistan, where he is leading all jihadi activities... The sole goal of such baseless reporting and propaganda is to make up for the failure in Marjah," Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP.
Islamabad's ties with the United States are controversial in Pakistan, where the government initially stopped short of confirming or denying that Baradar was in custody, but criticised the report as "propaganda."
The United States has previously taken out other Taliban figures, often in missile strikes by unmanned drones, but none as senior as Baradar, who ran day-to-day operations for the insurgency.
