Taliban spokesman arrested in Afghanistan

KABUL: Afghan intelligence agents have arrested one of the top spokesmen for the insurgent Taliban movement.

Mohammad Hanif was arrested on Monday at the Torkham border post, intelligence agency spokesman Sayed Ansari said.

"Our intelligence officers in Jalalabad arrested Abdul Haqiq who was operating under the codename of Doctor Mohammad Hanif who was the Taliban spokesman," Ansari said.

"He was arrested as he entered into Afghanistan at the Torkham border yesterday. His identity has been proved and we had intelligence that he was coming. He is in our custody now."

Hanif regularly spoke to the international and Afghan media from secret locations about Taliban activities in eastern Afghanistan saying he was speaking on behalf of the extremist movement.

He was one of the most high-profile Taliban spokesmen along with Yousuf Ahmadi, who usually speaks about issues in southern Afghanistan.

They were appointed after the chief spokesman, Abdul Latif Hakimi, was arrested in Pakistan in October 2005.