A heavily-armed Taliban commander was killed during an pre-dawn shootout at a mosque in eastern Afghanistan, Nato said today.

US-led coalition forces clashed with suspected militants in central Afghanistan, leaving several insurgents dead and detaining two, a statement from the coalition said.

The US-led coalition today accused the Taliban of using children as human shields during a battle in southern Afghanistan, while Nato said it was investigating a shipment of weapons intercepted near the border with Iran.

A suicide bomber on foot blew himself up next to a police vehicle in Afghanistan’s volatile south today, wounding eight policemen, an official said.