CIA'S Near Miss of Top Afghan Taliban Leader Sign of Improved Intelligence

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Feb. 25, 2010 — -- A CIA drone attack in one of Pakistan's tribal areas last week killed the brother of a senior Afghan Taliban commander instead of the commander himself only because the commander decided at the last minute not to attend a family member's funeral, according to a resident in the area of the missile strike.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, whom U.S. officials believe is the most dangerous Afghan Taliban commander, was supposed to attend his aunt's funeral but sent his brother Mohammad instead. Mohammad was then killed while traveling to the funeral in Sirajuddin's car, according to the resident.

The CIA has long wanted to kill Haqqani, but has rarely, if ever, come this close. The near miss suggests the agency's intelligence about the Afghan commander's movements inside Pakistan has increased significantly.

U.S. officials also suggest the strike is an indication that the Pakistani military and its intelligence agency, while not totally turning their backs on their past support for the Haqqani network, are now "less and less inclined to care about the Haqqanis," according to one U.S. official who spoke to ABC News in exchange for anonymity.

Another official put it this way: "They're letting us handle it," a reference to a large increase in drone strikes aimed at the Haqqani network, which enjoys a safe haven in the North Waziristan tribal area inside Pakistan.

The two U.S. officials cautioned, however, that Pakistan is still sharing more intelligence on commanders who attack Pakistan -- most notably, the Pakistani Taliban -- than on commanders who only launch attacks on U.S. troops in Afghanistan, of which Haqqani is the most prominent.

The strike came in the middle of one of the most successful months since the war in Afghanistan began, at least measured by counter-terrorism achievements. In total four major Afghan Taliban leaders were captured in the last month in joint CIA-Pakistani intelligence agency operations, including two senior members of the Afghan Taliban leadership circle and two shadow governors from northern Afghan provinces, according to Pakistani government officials and U.S. officials. Less important commanders have also been caught, the officials add.

The most recent to be caught is Mullah Qabir, a senior member of the Quetta Shura, the leadership council named for the southwest Pakistani city where it's believed to be based. Afghan officials have said Qabir was arrested by Pakistan's intelligence service, but Pakistani intelligence officials have so far denied that -- and U.S. officials say Pakistan has not informed them whether Qabir has in fact been captured.