Airstrikes, ground fighting kill insurgents, senior Taliban leader

 KABUL, Afghanistan – Airstrikes and ground operations by NATO and Afghan troops killed dozens of insurgents, including a senior Taliban leader, the alliance said Thursday as the war in Afghanistan entered its 10th year.

 Sixteen militants were killed in air raids and ground fighting overnight in the Darqad, Yangi Qala and Khwaja Bahawuddin districts of Takhar province, Gen. Shah Jahan Noori, provincial police chief, told the Associated Press.

 Northern Takhar has been the scene of escalating military operations in recent days, as NATO and Afghan forces step up the battle for control of the Taliban-dominated south.

 Taliban commander Maulawi Jawadullah – accused of organizing deadly ambushes, roadside bombings, and abductions of Afghan police and soldiers in northern Afghanistan – was killed in an airstrike Wednesday in Yangi Qala district, NATO said.

 Thursday was the ninth anniversary of the American invasion of Afghanistan, a frustrating benchmark for those who expected a quick exit after small targeted special forces toppled the Taliban from power in 2001.

 This week also marked another milestone as the death toll for NATO forces surpassed 2,000. At least 2,004 NATO service members have died fighting in Afghanistan since Oct. 7, 2001, according to an AP count.