KABUL, July 7 (Xinhua) -- An operation by Afghan and international troops killed nearly a dozen civilians and 20 Taliban militants in the eastern Kunar province, provincial governor Shalizai Dedar said Saturday.

    The joint forces launched an operation in Watapor district on Friday, which killed 20 militants and injured 16 others, Dedar told Xinhua, adding 11 civilians were killed by the air power of the international troops.

    However, locals said 35 civilians were killed by an air strike.

    Meanwhile, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force(ISAF) said ISAF soldiers carried out the operation in Kunar and caused "a number of insurgent casualties."

    "At this time there is no reason for us to believe that there are any civilian casualties of any type," said an ISAF spokesman John Thomas.

    Due to rising Taliban insurgency, over 2,700 persons, most of whom were Taliban militants, have been killed in Afghanistan this year.