Afghan and the NATO-led troops during a combine operation backed by airpower have killed 22 Taliban fighters including 18 foreigners in Khost province, 150 km southeast of capital Kabul, a local official said Wednesday. "In the operation conducted with the support of NATO-led forces in Woza village of Musa Khil district on May 28, four local Taliban insurgents and 18 foreigners were killed,"Asmatullah, spokesman for border police force in the area, told Xinhua.

There were militants from Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Chechen among the foreign insurgents killed during the operation, he said, adding the bodies will be shifted by Afghan Red Crescent Society.

Meantime, an official with the Red Crescent Society named Mohammad Yusuf said the bodies would be taken to the concerned families.