Kabul: Nato air strikes on Monday targeted the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan in an attempt to dislodge the militia from a district they captured from government forces last week, the alliance said.
The militants seized the district of Bargi Matal in the rugged Nuristan province on Saturday, driving out Afghan security forces after days of fierce fighting.
On Monday, Nato jets bombed the troubled region in what the alliance's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said was an operation in support of its Afghan counterparts.
"ISAF supported Afghan national security force operations in Nuristan province by delivering precision-guided air strikes on known insurgent locations near Bargi Matal early Monday," it said in a statement.
The air strikes were requested by Afghan commanders, it added.
An ISAF spokesman told AFP the raids had targeted "the bad guys in Bargi Matal".
Interior ministry spokesman Zemarai Bashary said the raids were called in by Afghan troops ahead of an operation to recapture the district.
"We're going to launch an operation very soon to retake the district. The air strikes were in support of our operations and were called in preparation for ground operations," he said.
The Taliban are waging an insurgency to overthrow the US-backed government of President Hamid Karzai which is backed by 130,000 international troops.
The insurgency has gained strength in recent years as the rebels have spread their influence beyond their traditional stronghold in the country's south.
Nato, US and Afghan troops are preparing their biggest offensive against the rebels in the southern province of Kandahar, with foreign troop numbers set to peak at 150,000 by August.
