Afghan security forces backed by international coalition troops killed a Taliban senior leader along with two other militants in Afghanistan's southern Ghazni province, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force ( ISAF) said in a press release Thursday, Xinhua reported.
"Afghan and coalition forces killed Mohammad Ali, a Taliban senior leader and improvised explosive device (IED) expert in Ghazni province Wednesday," the press release added.
Ali has led until his dead a militants' network in ambushes against Afghan and coalition forces using rocket attacks, small arms fire and IEDs, it stated.
"The security force also killed Mowlana Fatih Sahib, a Taliban operational leader also involved in ambushes against Afghan and coalition forces," it emphasized.
It said based on intelligence reports the joint forces raided a compound in Rashidan district but they received heavy small arms and rocket-propelled grenades fire at the scene from armed insurgents including Mohammad Ali and Sahib.
It also confirmed the death of another Taliban fighter who threatened troops during securing the targeted buildings.
Without giving an exact number, the press release stressed that the security force detained several suspected insurgents after questioning on the scene.
However, a Taliban purported spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in talks with media confirmed two of their men had been killed, adding no commander of the outfit were killed in Ghazni over the past few weeks.