TALUQAN, Afghanistan, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Seven Taliban militants, including two local Taliban leaders, were killed in an overnight army airstrike in Afghanistan's northern Takhar province in the latest raid against the insurgents, authorities said Saturday.
"Acting on a confirmed intelligence tip, the airstrike was conducted by Afghan Air Force in Masjid-i-Safid village of Baharak district rightly at 9:00 p.m. (local time) Friday. The strike also injured three militants and destroyed several militants' motorcycles," spokesman Mohammad Jawad Hijri told Xinhua.
Among those militants killed were Jalal Sirat, alias Nasrat, deputy commander to Taliban special force Sara Keta, and a local Taliban leader named Ahmadullah Taluqani. The official said no civilians were hurt during the strike.
The targeted militants were found to be involved in terrorist crimes in Takhar and neighboring provinces in the past.
Takhar province and neighboring Kunduz and Baghlan provinces have been the scene of heavy clashes over the past couple of months as Taliban has been trying to challenge the government forces in the once relatively peaceful region.
The latest operation came as media reports suggested that significant progress had been made during recent negotiation talks between a U.S. delegation and Taliban representatives in Qatar.
The Taliban militant group has not made comments on the report yet.
