Authorities in Afghanistan say a U.S. airstrike in Ghazni province has killed 12 Taleban fighters, including a senior commander involved in the kidnapping of 23 South Koreans two months ago.

General Ali Shah Ahmadza, a top provincial police official, said Tuesday the Taleban commander Mullah Abdullah Jan was killed in the overnight bombing in Giro district.

The U.S.-led coalition said that several militants were killed and four were detained in the operation, but it could not immediately confirm if Jan was among the dead.

In other news, NATO reports that one of its soldiers died and another was wounded during an explosion in southern Afghanistan on Monday. No further details of the incident were made available.

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