Washington, Feb.20 (ANI): The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had set up a base in Karachi and it was the data collected by the post which played a major role in the arrest of the Taliban’s second-in command Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and two other extremist commanders.

“The CIA post in Karachi intercepted communications which were later handed over to ISI officials. The two agencies then planned a joint operation to catch Mullah Baradar and governors,” a leading US English daily said.

According to The Washington Post, the CIA and the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) are cooperating each other like never before and it was this collaboration that led to the arrest of Baradar.

“The ISI and the CIA are working together, with the Americans providing actionable intelligence and the Pakistanis acting together with them” to hunt the insurgency’s leaders,” the newspaper quoted a Pakistani official, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, as saying.

Pakistan’s latest action and its aggressive manhunt for the top Taliban commander, who are believed to be hiding inside the country, marks a clear shift in Islamabad’s policy.

The newspaper also pointed out that it was due to the deliberations by the US that India and Pakistan have agreed to restart stalled talks.

It also referred to a letter by President Barack Obama in which he had warned Pakistan that the use of insurgent groups to achieve policy goals would no longer be tolerated. (ANI)