Suspected al-Qaida number three captured after gunbattle in Pakistan

(The Guardian) -- The man thought to be al-Qaida's head of global operations and the mastermind behind an attempt to assassinate the president of Pakistan was captured by the country's troops after a fierce gun battle in the lawless tribal belt close to the Afghan border, officials said last night.

In an operation described by George Bush as a "a critical victory in the war on terror", Libyan Abu Faraj al-Libbi was seized with another "foreigner" after a fierce firefight on the outskirts of Mardan, 30 miles north-east of Peshawar, the capital of the rugged North West Frontier Province.

President Bush said Libbi was "a major facilitator and a chief planner" for Osama bin Laden and that his arrest "removes a dangerous enemy". It recently emerged that US forces have trained Pakistani helicopter pilots and army commandos in tactics to tackle al-Qaida's mountain refuges in the country's tribal area.

Pakistani authorities, who had said they felt they were closing in on Libbi, were quick to capitalise on what they believe is the most important terrorist to be captured since the arrest of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, al-Qaida's purported number three, two years ago in Karachi, Pakistan's financial capital.

Libbi allegedly took over as al-Qaida's operational chief after Mohammed's capture. The information minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, told reporters that Libbi, who was seized on Monday, was "a very big catch" and hinted that Pakistani troops had picked up the trail of Bin Laden. "We will be looking at all his links. Our forces are moving towards the right direction."

Mr Libbi is known as a computer, electronics, and communications expert. When arrested he was said to be carrying satellite phones and a high frequency wireless, and reports said that he had been in contact with al-Qaida cells in the US and south-east Asia.

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