KABUL, July 10: Afghan authorities have arrested a senior official of the ousted Taliban and seized a large quantity of bomb-making material in a raid in the restive southern province of Kandahar, the provincial governor said on Thursday.

The man, a brother and aide of former Taliban defence minister Mullah Obaidullah, was seized in a house in Kandahar city, said governor Gul Agha Sherzai.

“We captured him and with him we seized about 1,200 detonators,” he told reporters in Kabul. “Lots of equipment for explosions and some 50 light and heavy machineguns.”

He did not name the man or say when he was arrested. Obaidullah was second in command of the Taliban government, which was overthrown by US-led forces in 2001.

There has been a spate of attacks in recent months on US-led and government troops and aid workers in Kandahar, which used to be the Taliban’s main bastion. Officials have blamed Taliban remnants for the violence.

About 100 government troops and civilians have been killed in clashes across the south since the beginning of the year.

Mr Sherzai said the arrested man had said Obaidullah lives in Quetta.

The Kandahar governor said some other top Taliban officials, including one of its commanders, Mullah Dadullah, were active in Pakistan.—Reuters