Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who’s probably dealt with the Pakistanis longer than any senior administration official, reacts to the capture of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar at a press conference yesterday:
I don’t want to get into specific captures. But I would say that what we are seeing is the importance of operations, on both sides of the border, and a manifestation of real progress, on the Pakistani side, of dealing with the threats that I’ve talked about; whether they’re the Pakistan Taliban, the Afghan Taliban or al Qaeda, that they all work together, and the success of one is success of the rest.
So I think that the recent events have been another positive indication of the Pakistanis’ commitment to stabilizing this border area.
Typically understated.