Airstrike against Taliban in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province in the wee hours of Friday left over five dozen people, including militants, dead and injured, a police official said.

"It happened 1:45 a.m. (2115 GMT) when Taliban militants hijacked two fuel tankers and wanted to take them to far-flung area in Aliabad district," police chief of Aliabad Bariali Basharyar told Xinhua.

However, the vehicles stopped in a river and the militants asked for villagers' help to take the tankers out when airstrike of international forces occurred, Basharyar said.

He said that the vehicles were heading from Shirkhan port to Kabul supplying fuel to international troops.

"According to reports received by police, over 60 persons have been killed and wounded and some 27 Taliban militants were among the deaths," the police official added.

According to Basharyar, police forces have been sent to the area where reportedly many civilians who forced by Taliban to help them taking out the tanker were also killed.

A villager told reporters via telephone that they heard that war plane targeting the area where over 300 people, including civilians, have been killed and wounded.

International forces based in Afghanistan have yet to make any comment.

(Xinhua News Agency September 4, 2009)