ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- A senior Taliban leader in the Swat region was arrested by Pakistani security forces, the Pakistani army said Friday.

The arrest of Muslim Khan, a spokesman and advocate of the Taliban in the troubled Swat region, represents the first capture of a senior leader officially announced by Pakistani authorities, The New York times reported.

Senior U.S. commanders have praised the Pakistani military recently on its offensive in Swat, while urging that it push operations to Waziristan province, where militants cross into neighboring Afghanistan to fight coalition forces.

Besides Khan, Mahmood Khan, a less senior commander, and three others were arrested, the Pakistani military said in a statement, which didn't indicate when Muslim Kahn was captured.