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Roundup: 101 insurgents killed, foreign national kidnapped in Afghanistan within 24 hours

Xinhua, August 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

The ongoing militancy and counter- militancy have claimed the lives of 101 Taliban militants and a foreign national has been kidnapped in the conflict-ridden Afghanistan over the past 24 hours.

In the latest violent incident which occurred in the fortified capital city Kabul on Monday morning, unknown armed men abducted a foreign national in downtown Kabul city.

A foreign lady employed by German government aid agency GIZ was abducted by unidentified armed men in Qala-e-Fathullah locality at around 9:00 a.m. local time on Monday, local media reported.

However, officials have yet to make comment on the incident.

Meantime, a police official on the condition of anonymity said that efforts are underway to ensure the safe release of the abductees.

No group or individuals have claimed of responsibility for the kidnapping.

In another development, Afghan interior ministry has claimed killing more than 100 armed Taliban and injuring more than 80 others since Sunday.

"Units of police backed by the army and National Directorate for Security have killed 101 armed insurgents during operations conducted in Nangarhar, Parwan, Baghlan, Kunduz, Faryab, Sar-e-Pul, Oruzgan, Jowzjan, Paktika and Helmand provinces over the past 24 hours," the statement assert said.

According to the statement, 82 more insurgents have been injured during the operations.

Similarly the Afghan spy agency National Directorate for Security (NDS) on Monday reported arresting three militants loyal to the so-called Islamic State (IS) known as Daesh in the eastern Nangarhar province.

Meanwhile, government sources on Monday reported evicting Taliban militants from the strategically important Dand-e-Ghori valley in the northern Baghlan province and Nawzad district in the southern Helmand province.

However, Zabihullah Mujahid who claims to speak for the Taliban outfit in contact with media has confirmed the clashes in Dand-e- Ghori area but rejected losing ground to security forces.

Militancy and conflict typically get momentum in spring and summer in Afghanistan commonly known as fighting season among Afghans. Endi