ASADABAD (Afghanistan), Jan 19: More than 20 Taliban were killed and over a dozen wounded in a joint operation between Afghan and Nato forces in eastern Afghanistan, officials said Saturday.

The militants were killed late on Friday in the province of Kunar, near the Pakistani border, its governor Fazlullah Wahedi said.

The rebels had recently crossed the border from Pakistan to launch an attack on Afghan and foreign targets, he said.

“The Afghan National Army and our foreign friends identified their locations and launched a successful operation. Over 20 of them were killed and over 10 were wounded,” he said.

An army commander, Capt Adam Khan Mateen, citing military intelligence reports, said some of the fighters were foreigners.

“We’ve intercepted radio communication and have intelligence reports that some of those killed and injured were foreign terrorists,” he said. Foreign nationals is usually a reference to Al Qaeda members fighting with the Taliban.

—AFP