At least 18 Taliban insurgents have been killed or injured as NATO's aircraft pounded their hideouts in Baghlan province, Provincial Governor Munshi Abdul Majid said Tuesday, Xinhua reported.
"The NATO-led forces conducted precision air strikes in Dand-e- Ghori district in the wee hours of Monday. As a result over 18 militants were killed or injured," Majid told Xinhua.
He said initial report indicates that two militants' sub- commanders namely Badir Khan and Mullah Dost Mohammad were among those killed in the raid.
The restive Dand-e-Ghori district is located 25 km northwest of the provincial capital Pul-e-Khumri where Taliban militants often organize subversive activities against government interests throughout the province.
According to locals, hundreds of families have fled the district and surrounding areas over the past months in fear of clashes between Taliban and security forces.
In the meantime, Mahbub Alahi who introduced himself as a Taliban spokesman in Baghlan in talks with media from an undisclosed location confirmed that three militants were killed and four others injured in the air attack, stressing 12 other victims were civilians who lost their lives in the raids.