The Taliban has denied a report that American and Pakistani intelligence forces have captured the Taliban's top military commander.
United States officials say Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar was arrested in a raid on 8 February about 45km from Karachi. He is said to oversee Taliban operations in Afghanistan.
The BBC reports the arrest is yet to be confirmed and the Taliban says NATO just wants to spread the rumour to divert attention from their defeats and confuse the public.
It says Mullah Baradar is still in Afghanistan actively organising the group's military and political activities.
According to Interpol, Mullah Baradar served as deputy minister of defence for the Taliban regime in Afghanistan before it was toppled in 2001.
