Afghan officials say villagers in northwestern Afghanistan have killed two Taliban militants.

US Marines patrol in the town of Garmser in Helmand Province of Afghanistan, 10 Jul 2008

Officials in Faryab province Thursday said militants were trying to abduct aid workers in Qaysar district on Wednesday when villagers confronted them, killing two, and forcing 10 others to flee.

One of the militants killed was reportedly a Taliban-appointed shadow governor for the province.

In central Afghanistan Thursday, the NATO-led coalition says its forces in Logar province killed a suspected Taliban militant, Mohammad Daud Rahimi, believed to have been involved in planning suicide bombings. 

NATO and U.S.-led coalition forces have been fighting a Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan since 2001, when the U.S. ousted the Islamist group from power.