A senior leader of the militant Haqqani network, Haji Mali Khan, has been captured in Afghanistan, the Nato-led international force Isaf has said.
He was detained during an operation by Afghan and coalition forces in Paktia province on Tuesday, Isaf said.
He was heavily armed but did not resist, it added.
Haji Mali Khan is the senior commander in Afghanistan for the Haqqani network, blamed for some recent Afghan attacks and accused of links to Pakistan.
He is also a revered elder of the clan, the uncle of the network's leader, Siraj Haqqani, and served as an emissary between the Haqqanis and Baitullah Mehsud, the former head of the Pakistani Taliban who was killed in a suspected US missile attack in 2009.He is accused of setting up bases in Paktia and coordinating the transfer of money for militant operations.
The BBC's Paul Wood in Kabul says Afghan officials describe him as the brain of the network.
The Haqqani are affiliated to the Taliban and have pledged allegiance to their spiritual leader, Mullah Omar. However, some in the West believe the Haqqani also have links to Pakistan's intelligence agency, an accusation Islamabad denies.
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