Tehran - A senior commander of Afghanistan's opposition forces said yesterday that several top Taliban commanders had been killed in recent fierce battles in northern Afghanistan.
"Fighting continues and a number of important Taliban leaders have been killed or injured," Gen Abdur Rashid Dostum told Iran's official news agency, IRNA.
Gen Dostum, who leads the ethnic Uzbek faction of the opposition, said Wednesday's counter-attack victory against Taliban forces occurred in Hairatan, a river port town on Afghanistan's northern border with Uzbekistan. There was no independent confirmation of the report.
Afghanistan's Taliban Islamic movement said on Wednesday that it captured two key northern towns, consolidating their grip on the north of the country.
The UN Security Council expressed its "grave concern" yesterday over the escalating offensive by forces of the Taliban. The council also said it was worried by reports of military involvement by other countries.