Officials say an air strike by NATO-led forces in Afghanistan has killed Taliban fighters responsible for a weekend helicopter crash that killed 38 troops, 30 of them American.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said those killed were Taliban leader Mullah Mohibullah and the insurgent who it said fired the shot that downed the CH-47 helicopter.
It said the two men were trying to flee the country -- presumably to safe havens in neighbouring Pakistan.
The Pentagon said they were in a compound when they were hit by F-16 aircraft.
Reuters News Agency quotes a spokesman for the Taliban denying that the person responsible for shooting down the helicopter was killed.
"The person who shot down the helicopter is alive and he is in another province operating against (foreign forces)," he told Reuters.
Meanwhile, France is investigating whether the deaths of two French soldiers in Afghanistan during the weekend might have been caused by friendly fire.
The two soldiers were killed during a clash with insurgents in the Tagab valley in eastern Afghanistan.
