Afghan Taliban no.2 Baradar "singing like a male canary" : Pak official

Washington, Mar.11 (ANI): The arrest of Taliban's second-in command Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar is proving to be of great value to officials as he has revealed several vital pieces of information regarding other top militant commanders during his interrogation.

A Pakistani counterinsurgency official said Baradar has been "singing like a male canary" since his arrest in Karachi, and has become a 'vital asset' in gathering information on the Taliban and other extremist groups operating in the region.

"He obviously does not want to be released under any circumstances. He would not survive after the information he has given the government," Fox News quoted an unnamed Pakistani official, as saying.

Some US officials maintained that if Pakistan continues to act against militant leaders hiding inside the country with the same intent as it is doing at present, it would represent one of the best chances to root out the insurgency threatening both Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan.

A senior North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) officer stationed in Afghanistan said described the recent arrests of top Taliban commanders as important as the leadership vacuum would severely dent the ability of the extremists to fight large offensive such as the one underway in Marjah and Kandahar.

However, the official maintained that the Taliban is a 'highly decentralized' movement, and even without its top commanders, its fighters can skirmish, launch hit-and-run ambushes. (ANI)