Afghan Forces Kill 68 Taliban Militants in Mop-Up Operations

Local Editor

Afghan security forces had killed more than 60 Taliban militants and wounded several others during clean-up operations across the war-torn country over the past 48 hours.

The Afghan Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that 68 militants, among them two foreign nationals, were killed and 40 others injured in a series of operations carried out in the provinces of Daykundi, Ghazni, Helmand, Kandahar, Kunduz, Maidan Wardak, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Paktia and Uruzgan.

Further, the statement added that as many as 12 militants, including a senior commander, were also arrested during the offensives. It, however, did not mention whether there were any casualties on the side of the Afghan forces.

Afghan soldiers also confiscated light and heavy weapons, and defused 53 improvised explosive devices [IEDs] in the process.

In the meantime, Afghanistan is gripped by insecurity years after soldiers from the United States and its allies marched through the country in 2001 as part of Washington's so-called war on terror.

Even though the onslaught overthrew the Taliban, many areas across Afghanistan still face violence and insecurity.

At least 13,500 foreign forces remain in Afghanistan despite the end of the US-led combat mission, which came on December 31, 2014. The forces, mainly from the US, are there for what Washington calls a support mission.

NATO says the forces focus mainly on counter-terrorism operations and training Afghan soldiers and policemen.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team