U.S. says captures senior commander of Pakistani Taliban

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. forces in Afghanistan have captured senior Pakistani Taliban commander Latif Mehsud in a military operation and detained him under a law authorizing use of force against al Qaeda following the 2001 attacks, the Pentagon said on Friday.

The arrest of Mehsud, a trusted deputy to Tehreek-e-Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, could be a big blow to the group, which seeks to topple the U.S.-backed government Pakistan but has also taken aim at U.S. forces in Afghanistan and sought to strike the United States itself.