Roundup: Afghan crackdown operation kills 26 militants in 2 days

Afghan security forces ongoing crackdown against Taliban fighters have claimed the lives of 26 militants in the militancy-ridden country since Saturday, officials said Sunday.

In the latest fight against militants, which was launched Monday morning in Sipira district of the eastern Khost province, eight armed insurgents were killed, district governor Mohammad Azim told Xinhua.

He also said that the operation backed by helicopter gunships has been continuing since early morning in the area.

Sipira district, which borders Pakistan's remote North Wazirustan tribal area, has been regarded as Taliban's hotbed in the eastern Khost province with Khost city as its capital, 150 km southeast of Afghan national capital Kabul city.

Earlier in the day, the Afghan Interior Ministry in a statement released here reported killing of 18 Taliban militants during series of operations across the country.

"Units of police backed by the army have killed 18 militants during operations which covered Nangarhar, Baghlan, Kunduz, Kandahar, Uruzgan and Helmand provinces over the past 24 hours," the statement from the interior ministry contended.

Six more militants sustained injuries during the cleanup operations, which have been continuing over the past two days in parts of the said districts, according to the statement.

The security forces have also discovered and defused 18 landmines and roadside bombs over the same period.

Meanwhile, Taliban militants, who have been fighting the government to regain power, in their online statements claimed killing over a dozen security personnel over the past two days. Enditem