A NATO air strike has probably killed a senior Taliban leader and his deputies in southern Afghanistan, said a statement of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) received on Friday.

ISAF conducted a successful precision air strike on a known insurgent command post in the vicinity of Musa Qala district of Helmand province on Thursday, the statement said, adding the compound was completely destroyed.

"A senior Taliban leader and his deputies are believed to have been killed in this strike," it said.

However, the statement did not elaborate the identity of the "senior Taliban leader."

Helmand has been a hotbed of Taliban militants, who clash with NATO and government troops frequently. Over 300 persons, mostly Taliban militants, have been killed in violence in this volatile country this year.

Source: Xinhua