Senior Taliban provincial leader killed

KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- A key Taliban leader and his bodyguard were killed in Ghazni province in eastern Afghanistan, local authorities said.

Syed Amirshah Sadat, the provisional intelligence chief of the National Directorate of Security, said Taliban provincial leader Hafiz Sardar was killed in a NATO airstrike Wednesday, Khaama Press reported.

Taliban leaders have not confirmed Sardar's death so far.

Sardar was involved in insurgency activities in Ghazni, where Taliban militants and other armed insurgents openly operate, Sadat said.

Khaama Press reported at least three Taliban leaders have been killed in Ghazni province during the past week.