Kabul - NATO claimed on Monday that its forces killed 10 militants including a commander in southern Afghanistan, the region which witnessed the deaths of seven foreign soldiers in separate attacks.

Taliban leader Maulawi Hassan and nine other militants were killed in NATO operation in Kajaki district of southern Helmand province on Saturday, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said in a statement.

The militants were killed inside their compound, it said, adding that several weapons and bomb-making materials were discovered.

"The death of Maulawi Hassan, the latest in a series of prominent insurgents and IED [improvised explosive device] facilitators, signals another serious blow to the insurgency," the statement of the NATO-lef force said.

The southern provinces were a Taliban stronghold during its regime and have become the main hub for the insurgency.

Seven NATO soldiers, including four Canadians, were killed in separate Taliban attacks in the region in the past three days.

ISAF has more than 60,000 troops from 42 nations deployed in Afghanistan. The troops have been there since the ouster of the Taliban regime in late 2001. The US is planning to send 17,000 additional troops this year. (dpa)