Pakistani security forces have arrested a man they believe is the commander of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist group in the country as well as two accomplices involved in recruiting and sending fighters to Syria, intelligence sources said on Wednesday.
Three intelligence sources, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the man, Yousaf al-Salafi, was arrested in the Eastern city of Lahore and confessed during interrogation that he represented ISIL in Pakistan.
"Al-Salafi is a Pakistani Syrian who reached Pakistan through Turkey five months ago," said one source.
The account could not be independently verified.
The source said one of his accomplices, Hafiz Tayyab, was a prayer leader in Lahore and was involved in recruiting Pakistanis and sending them to fight alongside ISIL in Syria, charging ISIL about $600 per person.