JALALABAD, Afghanistan, July 18 (Xinhua) -- Afghan forces have arrested an alleged planner of suicide attacks and key member of the Taliban group in the country's eastern Nangarhar province, a local official said Thursday.

"Personnel of National Directorate of Security (NDS) successfully arrested Shirin, known as Suhail in Police District 1 of provincial capital Jalalabad city on Wednesday night," Attaullah Khogyani, provincial government spokesman, told Xinhua.

The arrestee persuaded a Taliban suicide bomber to use a car bomb for targeting government office buildings in Surkh Rod district, in the east of Jalalabad, the official added.

The car bomb was found and destroyed by security forces.

According to the source, the arrested militant has confessed to his crime, with more investigations going on.

The Taliban militants fighting government forces in the region have not made comments on the incident yet.