Together, the arrests represent a significant blow to the Taliban’s leadership in the American-backed war that began in 2001. They also demonstrate the extent to which the Taliban’s senior leaders have been able to use Pakistan as a sanctuary to plan and mount attacks in Afghanistan.

Image An American Marine and an Afghan soldier during an operation on Thursday in Marja, Afghanistan. Credit... Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

A senior United States official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the arrest of the shadow governors was unrelated to Mullah Baradar’s capture.

Even so, Muhammad Omar, the governor of Kunduz Province, said in an interview that the two Taliban shadow governors maintained a close working relationship with Mullah Baradar.

“Mullah Salam and Mullah Mohammed were the most merciless individuals,” said Gen. Razaq Yaqoobi, police chief of Kunduz Province. “Most of the terror, executions and other crimes committed in northern Afghanistan were on their orders.”

The immediate impact of the arrests of the two Taliban governors was unclear. In the short term, they could be expected to hurt the Taliban’s operations somewhat and possibly demoralize their fighters, but probably not for long. In the past, the Taliban have proved capable of quickly replacing their killed or captured leaders.