THE Afghan Taliban's military leader has been arrested in a crushing blow to morale and logistical support for insurgents fighting NATO forces in Afghanistan.

"Given the fact that (Baradar) is very close to Mullah Omar and one of the key Taliban leaders, this could be an attempt to, on the one hand, use him as a negotiator but on the other hand disrupt the leadership and force the Taliban to come to the negotiating table," International Crisis Group chief Pakistan analyst Samina Ahmed said.

The Dutch don't work with Jan Mohammed in Uruzgan province