Security forces in Pakistan have arrested two key commanders of the Pakistani Taliban in the country’s volatile southwest. The interior minister of Baluchistan province congratulated the security forces for “saving the country from possible high-profile attacks” by arresting the militants. He said the arrests, seen as a significant boost for Pakistan’s government, were part of a “sophisticated intelligence-based operation.” The government announced this week the launch of a nationwide crackdown on insurgents. The arrests came during a surge in attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, who are a separate group but are allied with the Afghan Taliban, who seized power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021.
