The governor of the northern province of Takhar, Abduljabar Taqwa, said that two people were also wounded in the attack in the Rostaq district.

President Hamid Karzai condemned the incident, saying that "pro-democracy people should be distinguished from those who fight against democracy".

A Nato spokesman said a "precision air strike" had hit a militant's vehicle.

The target was a senior member of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) who regularly co-ordinated and conducted attacks with Taliban insurgents, the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said.

"Intelligence tracked the insurgents travelling in a sedan on a series of remote roads in Rostaq district. After careful planning to ensure no civilians were present, coalition aircraft conducted a precision air strike on one sedan and later followed with direct fire from an aerial platform.

"The vehicle was travelling as part of a six-car convoy, but no other vehicles were hit in the strike," the statement added.

The Isaf statement said "initial reflections" indicated that up to 12 insurgents had been killed or wounded, including a Taliban commander.

"Multiple passengers of the vehicle were positively identified carrying weapons," it added.

BBC