The Afghan army and police backed by the NATO-led forces eliminated seven Taliban militants and injured several others in Baghlan province, north of Afghanistan, commander of the Afghan army in the northern region General Murad Ali Murad said Wednesday.

"Seven Taliban rebels have been killed in Baghlan-e- Markazi district since Tuesday," Murad told Xinhua. He also said that several others had been wounded over the past two days, but failed to give an exact figure.

Since launching the operation 13 days ago, some 30 militants have been killed, officials said earlier.

General Murad also noted that the operation would continue until the area is cleared of the insurgents. However, Taliban fighters have not made comment.

Taliban militants, who made a bloody comeback four years ago in their traditional hotbed southern Afghanistan, have been attempting to infiltrate in the relatively peaceful northern region.

Baghlan and its neighboring Kunduz province have been the scene of increasing Taliban-led militancy and security incidents over the past several months.