Dozens killed in coalition airstrike

US-led coalition aircraft bombed Taliban militants meeting in remote southern Afghanistan today, killing dozens of militants.

The airstrike happened in the Kajaki district of Helmand province where Taliban fighters, including commanders, were meeting, said provincial deputy governor, Amir Mohammed Akhunzada.

More than 50 militants were believed to have been killed, although police had yet to reach the mountainous location to confirm the casualties, Akhunzada said.

Coalition officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

In recent weeks, southern Afghanistan has been hit by some of the deadliest fighting since the ouster of the Taliban regime in late 2005.

Militants have stepped up attacks in their former heartland, drawing a fierce response from coalition and Afghan forces.

Before today’s airstrike, as many as 372 people, mostly militants, have been reported killed in violence since May 17, according to coalition and Afghan figures.

On Sunday, authorities found the decapitated bodies of three police dumped in a field elsewhere in Helmand, two days after they disappeared. Officials blamed Taliban militants for the killings.