Afghan soldiers take part in a military exercise in the suburb in Kabul in this file photo dated August 12, 2006. More than 200 Taliban insurgents and four ISAF troops were killed in a major offensive in the southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan, ISAF said in a statement on Sunday.  (Xinhua Photo)

Around 60 Taliban insurgents were killed in the southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan in operation Medusa on Tuesday, an ISAF spokesman said.

The militants were killed in Panjwai district in the operation, which was launched by around 2,000 troops of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Afghan forces on Saturday, said Maj. Quentin Innis.

ISAF air forces were involved in the operation, he said, adding there were no reports of casualties to ISAF and Afghan troops.

Operation Medusa is the largest one against Taliban rebels since ISAF took command in southern Afghanistan from the U.S.-led coalition forces on July 31.

ISAF had said over 200 Taliban militants were killed and more than 80 were captured in the first two days of the operation, while a Taliban commander has rejected the saying, claiming only about 10 militants have lost their lives.

Panjwai, about 40 km west of Kandahar city, capital of Kandahar province, has been a hotbed of Taliban militants, who attack ISAF and Afghan troops frequently.

About 10,000 ISAF troops are deployed in southern Afghanistan, a traditional stronghold of the Taliban, to fight insurgents there.

Afghanistan is suffering from a rise of Taliban-linked violence this year, during which more than 2,100 people, mostly Taliban rebels, have been killed. Among the fatalities are over 100 foreign troops.

Editor: Yan