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Afghan forces kill 86 Taliban militants in cleanup operations

Afghan army soldiers patrol a road in Herat city, west of capital, Kabul, on April 12, 2015. (© AP)

Afghan army forces have killed more than 80 Taliban militants and wounded over two dozen others during clean-up operations across the country over the past 24 hours. 

The Afghan Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that 86 militants were killed and 37 were injured during a series of operations carried out in the provinces of Ghor, Helmand, Logar, Nimruz and Zabul.  

The statement added that there were two fatalities on the side of the Afghan forces. 

Afghan troopers also confiscated light and heavy weaponry, and defused twenty rounds of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) during the operations. 

Taliban have not yet made any comments on the issue.

This file photo shows masked Taliban militants at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan.

 

Afghanistan faces a security challenge years after the United States and its allies invaded the country in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed Taliban from power, but many areas in the country are still witnessing violence, which threatens stability.  

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 will focus mainly on counterterrorism operations and training Afghan soldiers and policemen.  

MP/NN/HMV


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