Foreign Desk

KABUL, Afghanistan – Information from a man caught in a vehicle loaded with explosives led to the arrests of two senior Taliban military commanders, including a former security chief of the hard-line regime’s leader, Mullah Omar, an official said yesterday. Mullah Naqvi and Mullah Qayum were active in the ousted regime’s insurgency and were believed to be responsible for a series of terror attacks in southern Afghanistan, said Abdullah Laghmani, the intelligence chief in Kandahar province. Both men were on “most-wanted” lists, Mr. Laghmani said. During the Taliban’s rule, Mr. Naqvi was in charge of security for Mr. Omar’s home in Kandahar city, and Mr. Qayum served as a military commander in the province, said Mr. Laghmani. It was unclear if either man might have information on the whereabouts of Mr. Omar, who vanished with Osama bin Laden as American-led forces ousted the Taliban government in late 2001. American embassy officials had no comment on the arrests, and there was no word on whether the men might be handed over to American officials for questioning.