Two top Taliban commanders, who are believed to have masterminded the recent attack on the Army’s headquarters in Rawalpindi and other high-profile terror strikes in Lahore, have been arrested by Pakistani security agencies.

The two — identified as Iqbal and Gul Muhammad — both from Faisalabad, were arrested earlier this week by law enforcement agencies. They were members of the Tehrik-e-Taliban’s shura of about top 40 commanders that coordinates and oversees militant activities across the country.

Iqbal and Gul Muhammad, who were in charge of militancy in the Punjab province, served as the link between the Taliban’s main leadership in Waziristan tribal region and the Punjabi Taliban network, a conglomerate of sectarian and Kashmir-focussed groups blamed for recent attacks in Lahore and other cities.

Their arrest is being described by security agencies as a major breakthrough against the Punjabi Taliban, senior officials were quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.

They were apprehended following telephone intercepts by intelligence agencies and disclosures by Muhammad Aqeel alias Dr Usman, who led the October 10 attack on the Army headquarters and was the only terrorist to be arrested after a 22-hour hostage crisis. The nine other attackers died during the assault.

Sources said the duo was involved in most of the major attacks in Punjab this year, including three coordinated attacks on a Federal Investigation Agency office and two police training centres in Lahore on October 15.