Kabul, Oct 3 (IANS): At least 15 Taliban militants, hiding in a hospital in the Kunduz city, were killed on Saturday, the police said.

"At least 15 insurgents were killed on Saturday when security forces conducted air raids against Taliban militants, who were hiding in a hospital in Kunduz city," Xinhua quoted Kunduz police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Hussaini as saying.

He also said part of the hospital was destroyed in the raid.

Hussaini has rejected the reports that three doctors of the hospital were killed in air attack.

"No doctors of the hospital or patients and civilians have been hurt in the air strikes," the police spokesman said.

The hospital authorities on Saturday said the air raids had left three staff dead and partially damaged the hospital.

Taliban militants captured parts of Kunduz, some 250 kms north of Kabul, on Monday. Security forces began a counter-offensive on Thursday.

According to Hussaini, hundreds of Taliban militants have been killed so far.

He said 65 Taliban insurgents have been killed since Saturday and a cleanup operation is ongoing in Kunduz.

However, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told via telephone from an unknown location that all the victims were hospital staff and patients, a claim police called baseless.