KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- A Taliban key commander Mullah Yasin was among five militants who have been killed in Khan Abad district of northern Afghanistan's Kunduz province, said an army spokesman Abdul Ghafar Nuristani on Sunday.

Units of special forces, according to the official, launched operations in parts of the restive district late on Saturday, killing the five armed insurgents.

Death of notorious Mullah Yasin, said the official, was a major blow to the Taliban militants in Kunduz province.

According to Nuristani, security forces have also liberated several villages from the clutches of militants in the wake of Mullah Yasin's elimination in the troubled district.

Taliban militants who are active in parts of Kunduz province haven't commented.