Kabul: US-led coalition troops killed a Taliban commander dressed as a woman during a raid in southern Afghanistan, officials said on Saturday.

Soldiers killed four Taliban fighters in Friday's operation, including a local Taliban commander named Haji Yakub who was dressed as a woman to evade capture, the US military said.

Yakub directed roadside bomb and suicide attacks against Afghanistan's government and coalition forces in Ghazni province, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, Afghan and coalition forces killed 33 militants when their patrol came under attack in southern Helmand province, a military said. The troops responded to the attack with small-arms fire and air support, it said.

In the Ghazni raid, the US said coalition forces discovered Yakub as they questioned a group of women and children. The Taliban commander was dressed in a burqa, a traditional robe that covers the entire body. He was killed when he tried to engage the force", the statement said.

Police in western Farah province said they killed four insurgents setting up a makeshift base in a village, apparently aiming to launch strikes on Farah city.