Taliban under fire: Afghan troops, NATO kill 138 Taliban militants

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) executed the air strikes while the operations on the ground were undertaken by Afghan security forces on Monday. The operations were carried out in Dangam district's Kunar province, said army spokesman Haroon Yousofzai, who also said that 108 people were wounded in the military operation, reported Firstpost.

The spokesman revealed that among the killed Taliban fighters, 17 of them wore Pakistani Army uniforms.

The ongoing military offensive began 10 days back after about 1200 Pakistani and Afghan jihadists targeted security checkpoints in the remote areas of Dangam, which has its border with Pakistan, said Yousofzai.

The insurgents destroyed parts of roads or put boulders to blockade movement. They also set off explosions to initiate landslides - having set up a coordination centre in Shank town. Hundreds of militants had gathered in this location where NATO's aerial bombardment took place.

The Taliban spokesman Zabihullah put out a statement and said that the Taliban jihadists did not suffer any casualties, and would continue to establish their presence in the area. Mujahid maintained that the Afghan troops had suffered many losses.

The Afghan ground forces face serious challenges - with its commander Murad Ali informing the Afghan Senate that lack of air cover was the Afghan army's major concern. Ali pointed out that his ground forces were dependent on the international coalition in its operations against the insurgents.

The US has plans to maintain about 10,800 soldiers in Afghanistan till 2024. NATO will station 3,000 to 4,000 local troops to provide training, assistance and advice to the Afghan National Security Forces.