Afghans 'seize key al-Qaeda man'

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US and Afghan forces say they have captured a high-ranking al-Qaeda figure in eastern Afghanistan.

The man - named as Abu Nasir al-Qahtani by unidentified US officials and a Pakistani newspaper - is said to have been captured in the city of Khost.

US military officials said last week that a known al-Qaeda operative had been arrested in Khost.

Qahtani escaped last year from the US prison at Bagram in Afghanistan with three other suspected militants.

One of the four Bagram escapees, Omar al-Farouq, was killed in a shoot-out with British troops in Iraq in September.

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Pakistan's The News daily reports that Qahtani was among six militants arrested in Khost last week.

US military spokesman Lt Col Paul Fitzpatrick declined to confirm any names.

However the US TV channel CNN quoted unnamed US officials as saying Qahtani had been detained.