Fighting kills 210 in last two weeks in N.Afghan's Kunduz province

A total of 210 people including 190 Taliban militants and 20 security personnel have been killed over the past 13 days in the northern Kunduz province some 250 km north of Kabul, provincial governor Mohammad Omar Safi said Wednesday.

"Security forces have killed 190 Taliban rebels including several foreign nationals and scores others injured over the past 13 days of heavy conflict across the Kunduz province," Safi told reporters in a press conference here.

He also confirmed that 20 security personnel had lost their lives and 30 others sustained injuries over the said period.

More than 200 civilians sustained injuries over the past 13 days of conflicts and more than 10,000 families have been displaced and shifted to safer places, the governor asserted.

Taliban militants as part of their so-called annual spring offensive which begun on April 24 launched massive attacks in different parts of Kunduz province with the objective to capture the provincial capital Kunduz city but have been forced to retreat, Governor Safi said, adding that security forces would continue their operations till ensuring lasting peace across the restive province.

Taliban militants fighting the government to regain power have yet to make comment. Endi