It is not yet exactly clear how and when the arrest was made, but reports say the arrest took place in Afghanistan.

A Pentagon spokeswoman said Mehsud was captured in a US military operation in Afghanistan, but The Washington Post reported on Friday that he was forcibly snatched from an Afghan government convoy in Logar province several weeks ago as Afghan officials were trying to recruit him to launch peace talks.

The Post said the incident, viewed as a major breach of Afghan sovereignty, enraged Afghan President Hamid Karzai and had contributed to a chill in US-Afghan relations at a time when American officials are pressing for a deal to let a small force of US troops remain in Afghanistan after 2014.

Pentagon officials declined to comment on the Post report.

Logar governor Arsallah Jamal said that Latif Mehsud was arrested by American forces as he was driving along a main highway in eastern Logar province's district of Mohammad Agha.

"We were informed two weeks later, the Pentagon and other American authorities in Washington have confirmed that Latif Mehsud has been captured and he is a very important person," he added.

The Pakistani Taliban confirmed the capture, but said Mehsud was in fact seized by the Afghan army at the Ghulam Khan border crossing in the eastern province of Khost on October 5.

The US military in Kabul referred all questions to the Department of Defense in Washington.

RA/HH