38 militants killed in Afghanistan

KABUL - Afghan and NATO-led troops have killed 38 militants in Afghanistan, police said Saturday.

“The clash erupted in Musa Khil district of Khost province Friday night and so far 38 Taliban rebels have been killed,” provincial police chief Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai told Xinhua.

He said Afghan and NATO-led troops, with the support of aircraft, targeted Taliban hideouts.

Locals say that five persons including three children were killed during the air strike. However, Ishaqzai rejected the claim saying neither troops nor civilians had been killed in the operation.