Roundup: 85 militants killed, 12 captured, 23 give up fighting in Afghanistan within day: officials

Amid the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province and government forces' mounting pressure on Taliban, 85 militants have been killed, 12 others captured and 23 others gave up fighting elsewhere in the war-torn country on Tuesday, officials said.

The Taliban militants in the latest suffering have lost 85 fighters in Chardara district of Kunduz province just days after overrunning it and forced the outfit to retreat, Kunduz provincial governor Mohammad Omar Safi said.

"In the wake of launching surprise counter-offensive and taking back Chardara district early Tuesday, the security forces begun chasing Taliban insurgents and so far 85 armed insurgents including a key commander Mawlawi Rahmatullah nicknamed Mawlawi Mohammad have been killed," Safi told reporters here at a press conference.

More than a dozen insurgents have been injured, the governor said, adding cleanup operation is going on to ensure law and order in the area.

The governor also confirmed that six security personnel and a civilian have been killed and 10 more civilians sustained injuries during the ongoing operations.

The security forces retook back the control of Chardara district early Tuesday morning and operations for retaking Dasht-e- Archi district is going on, the governor asserted.

Taliban militants after heavy fighting captured Chardara and Dasht-e-Archi districts on Saturday and Monday respectively.

In another development, the Afghan security forces during operations against insurgents in the southern Helmand province on Tuesday captured a dozen militants, provincial police chief Nabi Jan Mullahkhil said.

"Acting upon intelligence report the security forces conducted ambush and captured 12 Taliban militants including their commander Shir Agha in Sangin district early today morning," Mullahkhil told Xinhua.

Moreover, 23 Taliban militants surrendered to government in eastern Nangarhar province on Tuesday, provincial governor Salim Khan Kunduzi said.

"Two groups of Taliban made up of 23 fighters, including their commanders named Zurmat Khan and Zarin renounced violence and joined the government-initiated peace process Tuesday morning," Kunduzi told Xinhua.

The former militants also handed over their weapons to police, the governor added.

Taliban militants who have speeded up activities since launching their annual spring offensive on April 24 and conducted series of dreadful attacks in different parts of the war-ravaged country, haven't made comment. Endi