Afghanistan's defense ministry says at least 11 Taleban fighters were killed in overnight air strikes in southern Afghanistan.

But the police chief of Kandahar province, Esmatullah Alizai, puts the death toll much higher, saying that 60 militants were killed in strikes in Zhari district. He says the dead included three Taleban commanders.

NATO officials say they are not aware of NATO involvement in any major air strikes.

In a separate development, a Taleban spokesman says Mullah Bakht Mohammad has been appointed the group's top military commander. He replaces his older brother, Mullah Dadullah, who was killed in southern Afghanistan Saturday in a battle with U.S. and Afghan forces.

The U.S. television network, ABC, has broadcast an interview with Dadullah that was taped last week. In the interview, Dadullah said he was training U.S. and British citizens to carry out suicide attacks in their home countries.

Dadullah said such attacks are intended to make U.S. and British people understand how hard it is for Afghans to endure foreign occupation.

Some information for this report was provided by  AP and Reuters.