Afghans arrest Taliban spokesman-security official

KABUL, Jan 16 (Reuters) Afghan security forces have arrested a Taliban spokesman in an eastern border town after he crossed in from neighbouring Pakistan, an Afghan intelligence official said today.

The spokesman, Mohammad Hanif, was arrested in the town of Torkham yesterday. Hanif claimed to speak for Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar and often commented to reporters on Taliban clashes with NATO forces.

''We had prior information about his coming to Afghanistan and our security forces arrested him along with two other people,'' said Sayeed Ansari, an Intelligence Department spokesman.

Ansari said Hanif's real name was Abdul Haq Haqiq. The two people detained with Hanif were being questioned.

A Taliban official confirmed Hanif had been arrested.

''We got this information today after our fighters told us that they tried Hanif's phone number repeatedly but got no response,'' a senior Taliban official, who declined to be identified, said by telephone.

''Our commanders in Nangarhar and sources in the Afghan government confirmed the arrest,'' the official said, referring to the province where Hanif was detained.

Hanif was one of several people claiming to speak for the Taliban, who communicate with journalists in Afghanistan and Pakistan via text message and satellite telephone.

In 2005, Pakistani authorities arrested another Taliban spokesman, Abdul Latif Hakimi, in the city of Quetta and handed him over to Afghanistan.

Violence surged in Afghanistan last year to its worst level since US-led forces ousted the Taliban in 2001. Afghanistan and its allies say the Taliban's strength is partly because of their safe havens in Pakistan.

Violence has eased off since winter set in but there have been several big clashes in the south and east in recent days and a fresh Taliban offensive is expected in the spring.

REUTERS SP RAI2023