KABUL, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- A significant insurgent commander was killed in Baluchi Valley of southern Afghanistan by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in a joint operation, according to a statement of the alliance issued here on Sunday.

    The joint operation targeted the senior insurgent commander, Mullah Abdul Rasheed, who was responsible for the deaths of several ISAF soldiers in recent months, the statement said.

    "Following receipt of positive identification and all necessary approvals, ISAF executed a precision air strike against Rasheed," it added.

    "The death of Mullah Abdul Rasheed is a significant achievement for ISAF," said Brigadier General Richard Blanchette, ISAF Spokesperson, adding "we have disrupted the ability of insurgents to conduct operations in Oruzgan Province, making the area a safer place for ISAF forces and local Afghan citizens."

    Conflicts and Taliban-linked insurgency have left more than 5,000 people dead with some 2,000 civilians and 293 foreign troops in 2008, despite some 70,000-strong international troops stationed in the militancy-plagued Afghanistan.