KANDAHAR, March 7: Afghan troops captured a senior Taliban commander who tried to escape a manhunt disguised as a woman wearing an all-covering burqa, the Nato force said on Wednesday.

Soldiers at a checkpoint in the southern province of Kandahar on Tuesday “spotted the oddity” when the militant tried to pass them hidden under the garment, which has a grille over the face, it said in a statement.

The man, identified as Mullah Mahmood, was an “extremist commander and suicide attack facilitator” for the Kandahar province.

He was trying to escape from the Panjwayi area 35 kilometres (20 miles) west of the Kandahar city. The area was the scene of heavy battles between the Taliban and the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) in September.

With international forces under pressure after US troops were accused of killing around 20 civilians in action at the weekend, Isaf said the use of a burqa to escape showed the Taliban were willing to risk the public's safety.

“It just shows you they are willing to put people in danger because they are posing as civilians,” Isaf spokesman Colonel Tom Collins said. — AFP