Islamabad, Pakistan ? Pakistani commandos nabbed a senior al-Qaida leader, described by U.S. officials as the group’s No. 3 operative, after a shootout near one of his barren hideouts. Jubilant Pakistani officials said Wednesday his arrest would help in the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

President Bush hailed the capture of Abu Farraj al-Libbi as a “critical victory” that “removes a dangerous enemy who is a direct threat to America and for those who love freedom.”

Al-Libbi, a native of Libya who’s thought to use at least five aliases, is believed responsible for planning attacks in the United States, a U.S. counterterrorism official said.

U.S. officials described the arrest as the greatest blow to al-Qaida in more than two years, though al-Libbi is not on the FBI’s list of most-wanted terrorists. Al-Libbi is a confidant of bin Laden and was behind only Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahri and the al-Qaida chief himself in the terror organization’s hierarchy, they said.

Al-Libbi was also Pakistan’s most-wanted man, the main suspect behind two 2003 assassination attempts against President Gen. Pervez Musharraf — and is likely to face the death penalty in Pakistan if convicted.

Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said the arrest Monday had already produced a treasure trove of intelligence, and he predicted more breakthroughs to come.

“This is a very important day for us,” Ahmed said. “This arrest gives us a lot of tips, and I can only say that our security agencies are on the right track” in the hunt for bin Laden. “This man knew many people and many hideouts.”

A Pakistani intelligence official said 11 more terror suspects — three Uzbeks, an Afghan and seven Pakistanis — were arrested before dawn Wednesday in the Bajor tribal region. The official would not say what prompted authorities to launch the raid, or whether it was linked to al-Libbi’s capture.

Al-Libbi was arrested along with another foreigner after a firefight on the outskirts of Mardan, a rough and tumble town 30 miles north of Peshawar, capital of the deeply conservative North West Frontier Province, officials said.

The arrest breaks a monthslong drought in the dragnet for bin Laden and his top lieutenants. The terror mastermind has evaded a manhunt since the 9-11 attacks, appearing periodically on videotapes to warn of more violence. He is believed hiding along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan.