Latifullah Mehsud, a close aide of Hakeemullah Mehsud, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, was arrested in a American operation in the eastern Afghanistan last week, according to U.S. officials.

"I can confirm that U.S. forces did capture TTP terrorist leader Latif Mehsud in a military operation," said Marie Harf, the Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. State Department. "Mehsud is a senior commander in TTP, and served as a trusted confident of the group's leader, Hakimullah Mehsud."

Mehsud joins a long list of Pakistani nationals that have been apprehended in connection to insurgency and terrorist operations in Afghanistan. The close ties between Pakistani militant networks and violent conflict in Afghanistan has long been a point of considerable tension between Kabul and Islamabad. However, recent moves by the government of newly elected Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, have signaled Pakistan is potentially more willing than it has been in the past to address the threats of violent Islamic extremism within its borders.

Experts have suggested that one of the reasons behind Pakistan's less hospitable approach to groups like the Taliban is the rise in domestic terrorist attacks.

Mehsud was accused of involvement in a number of terrorist attacks, including the bombing plot targeting Times Square in New York City in 2010. But according to U.S. officials, he and his group have been responsible for a number of attacks inside Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"TTP claimed responsibility, as folks probably know, for the attempted bombing of Times Square in 2010 and has vowed to attack the US homeland again. TPP is also responsible for attacking our diplomats in Pakistan and attacks that have killed countless Pakistani civilians," said Harf.

Nothing has yet been confirmed in regards to the location and timing of the arrest. A number of media sources have said that Mehsud was arrested in Logar a few weeks ago. On the other hand, while Taliban confirm the arrest of Mehsud, they have said that he was arrested in Khost on October 5.