[Dawn] Pakistan on Monday arrested a badly wounded Taliban commander and alleged mastermind of suicide bombers in the northwest Swat valley, the military said.Mohammad Nasim Shah, known by his alias Abu Faraj, was arrested during a Pakistani security operation in which he was badly wounded on the first day of the Muslim festival Eid al-Fitr, officials said.
Abu Faraj is said to have trained bombers for suicide missions and was close to Taliban Swat cleric Maulana Fazlullah, who led thousands of followers in a two-year uprising to enforce Islamic law in the former tourist district.
The military announced the arrest of the commander as an 'Eid gift from the army for the people of Swat'.
Colonel Akhtar Abbas said Abu Faraj was an expert in making suicide jackets and training people to carry out attacks. He was trained in Afghanistan, where the Taliban are fighting against Western troops, Abbas added.
Officials said he prepared improvised-explosive device attacks and was also wanted in connection with two bank robberies.
Monday's arrest was the fourth high-profile detention over the last 10 days in Swat, where the military are effectively in charge after a blistering campaign designed to crush the Taliban this summer.