Four Afghan insurgents were killed in a NATO airstrike in southern Afghanistan while five others died in clashes with the police, officials said Thursday, DPA reported.
In the volatile southern province of Kandahar, a NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces airstrike killed four rebels, a statement issued by the governor's office said.
"Based on intelligence tips, the bodies of four insurgents were discovered in Arghestan district," it said, adding that no causalities among civilians or government forces were reported.
In neighbouring Helmand province, five insurgents were killed when a group of militants attacked three Afghan police checkpoints in Greshik district overnight, the governor's office said in a statement. There were no police casualties.
The southern provinces have seen some "fragile and reversible" gains since the increase in NATO-led operations last year. Taliban earlier this week announced the start of their spring offensive.