Kiwi troops were not involved in the capture of a senior Taliban official said to be behind an attack that killed two New Zealand soldiers in Afghanistan in early August.
The man was a senior weapons dealer and his capture by NATO forces came after coalition forces combed the Bamyan province following a spike in attacks in the normally quiet province, coalition spokesman Major Adam Wojack told Radio New Zealand on Monday.
He did not say where or how the man was captured.
The man would be handed over to Afghan authorities, who would prosecute, he said.
There was a "strong possibility" more people would be captured, he said.
Lance Corporal Pralli Durrer, 26, and Lance Corporal Rory Malone, 26, were killed and six others wounded in a firefight on August 4.
Maj Wojack could not say if the Taliban member was involved in the later attack in Bamyan that killed three New Zealand soldiers.
A massive roadside bomb destroyed the Humvee the three soldiers were travelling in.
However, they were still investigating a possible link, he said.
Prime Minister John Key told TVNZ the man was "a senior figure" in the Taliban and his capture was "very good news".
"These people are ... responsible for killing brave New Zealand soldiers and taking them out of action. It means that's a safer environment for our people so that's good news."
While New Zealand's soldiers were not involved in his arrest, it was not yet known what role four SAS soldiers, recently dispatched to Afghanistan to assist with logistics, played in hunting him down.
Maj Wojack said the recent Taliban attacks were out of the ordinary because Bamyan had been so quiet for so long and the coalition had increased surveillance in the area.
New Zealand plans to withdraw the remainder of its troops from Afghanistan in April next year.
