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Roundup: 15 insurgents killed, 19 de-miner kidnapped in Afghanistan

Xinhua, April 20, 2015 Adjust font size:

In the conflict-plagued Afghanistan, 15 anti-government militants have been killed and 19-de-miners abducted over the past 24 hours, official sources said Monday.

Units of Afghan national police backed by the army have killed 15 Taliban militants during series of operations across the conflict-ridden country over the past 24 hours, Ministry of Interior said in a statement released here Monday.

"A total of 15 Taliban rebels have been killed during police operations backed by the army and National Directorate for Security across the country over the past 24 hours," the statement of interior ministry asserted.

During the operations which have been conducted in Baghlan, Paktiya, Nangarhar, Kunar, Takhar, Faryab, Jowzjan, Kandahar, Laghman, Kunduz, Herat, Farah and Helmand provinces, another 10 more insurgents wounded and 22 others arrested, the statement contended.

However, the statement didn't say if there were casualties on security personnel.

Taliban militants fighting the government haven't made comment.

In another violent incident which happened in the eastern Paktia province on Sunday, unknown armed men, presumably Taliban militants abducted 19 de-miners of a mine clearance agency, police said. All the kidnapped persons are Afghans, police confirmed.

"The gruesome incident took place on Gardez-Zarmat road and the unidentified armed men took 19 persons working for a land mine clearance agency to unknown location," deputy to provincial police chief Zalmai Oryakhil told Xinhua.

Meanwhile, deputy governor of Paktia province, Abdul Wali Sahi, according to media reports, has pointed finger at the Taliban outfit for the abduction, saying the Taliban militants are behind the abduction of the mine sweepers in the restive province.

Taliban militants who had been blamed by officials in the past for attacking soft targets, killing and kidnapping pro-government elements have yet to claim responsibility for the abduction of the de-miners.

Militancy and conflicts often increase in spring and summer commonly known as fighting season in Afghanistan.

The hardliner Taliban outfit has already conducted series of dreadful and deadly offensives against high profile targets including attorney general office and military barracks in the northern Balkh and Badakhshan provinces over the past two weeks which had claimed dozens of lives. Endi