Pakistani Taliban’s ringleader Latif Mehsud handed over to Islamabad

A senior commander of takfiri outlawed Pakistani Taliban, Latif Mehsud, has reportedly been handed over to Pakistan by the U.S. from Afghanistan.

The US military confirmed it “transferred custody” of three Pakistanis, but did not reveal their identities. The Afghan government was not involved in the transfer, the US said.
Correspondents say the repatriation of a senior Taliban figure is extremely unusual. It could relate to attempts to improve Afghanistan-Pakistan ties, they say.
Secret flight
While the US did not confirm Latif Mehsud was among those transferred, Pakistani officials said Latif Mehsud had been “released”.
Several senior officials said that the commander had been secretly flown to Pakistan earlier this week. The identity of the other two men is not yet known. The three men had been held by the US at Bagram airbase in Afghanistan.
The office of the US Forces in Afghanistan said that the transfer took place after talks between the US and Pakistan.
“In making a decision to transfer a detainee, we take into account the totality of relevant factors relating to the individual and the government that may receive him, including but not limited to any diplomatic assurances that have been provided,” the US military said in a statement.
Warming in relations
Latif Mehsud was second-in-command to the former Pakistan Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, who was killed in a US drone strike last year.