Police 'arrest Taleban commander'

Mullah Naqibullah is reputedly a top Taleban leader

Afghan police say they have arrested a Taleban commander, Mullah Naqibullah, in the southern province of Helmand.

Chief of police in Helmand, Mohd Husain Andewal, said the rebel leader was injured and arrested after insurgents attacked the police in Lashkar Gah.

Three Taleban militants were killed and two officers were injured in the clash, he said.

In February, the Afghan government claimed they had killed the rebel leader, but the Taleban denied this.

A BBC reporter in Afghanistan later said he had spoken by telephone with someone he believed was Mullah Naqibullah.

Mullah Naqibullah is a Pashtun rebel commander who has twice escaped from prison.