12 Taliban including key commander killed in Afghanistan

Kabul: At least 12 Taliban militants including key commander Mullah Manan were killed in an air strike on their hideout in Nawa district of Ghazni province on Saturday, provincial governor Mohammad Aman Hamim said.

"Acting upon intelligence report, air raids were conducted against militants hideout in Nawa district, leaving 12 insurgents including Taliban key commander Mullah Manan dead on Saturday," Xinhua quoted Hamim as saying.

Mullah Manan, according to the official, was commanding Taliban militants in Ghazni and adjoining provinces and his death could be a major setback to the Taliban militants.

Taliban militants who are in control of major parts of the mountainous Nawa district over the past eight years have yet to comment.