Kabul: A gun battle between security forces and the Taliban in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province left 15 militants, including a key commander, dead on Sunday, a local official said.

“A group of armed Taliban rebels raided a police checkpoint in Jangul area of Abband district late on Saturday night triggering a fierce gun battle which lasted until Sunday morning during which 15 rebels, including their key commander Mullah Alam, were killed,” District Governor Allah Dad Halimi told Xinhua.

Five of those killed in the firefight were Pakistani nationals affiliated with the Taliban, he said.

Meanwhile, Zabihullah Mujahid, who claimed to speak for the Taliban outfit, in talks with media via telephone from an unknown location, confirmed the conflict, saying two Taliban militants and six policemen were killed in the fighting.