Off the wire
• Rare Ming Dynasty tomb with murals found in east China  • Urgent: Construction on own islands, reefs something China has to do -- Vice FM  • Egyptians vote in second round of parliamentary polls  • Helicopter crash kills two in Taiwan  • Over 20,000 candidates take PLA civilian personnel exam  • Urgent: China to provide 560 mln USD free assistance to underdeveloped ASEAN countries in 2016  • Urgent: State of emergency imposed in Crimea after electricity pylons blown up  • Would-be suicide bomber child arrested in N. Afghanistan  • ASEAN issues declaration on forming ASEAN Community at year end  • China to boost consumer services to shore up growth  
You are here: 　 Home

Roundup: Afghan forces kill 61 Taliban, IS fighters in 2 days

Xinhua, November 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

Afghan security forces backed by aircraft in crackdown against militants have killed 61 armed insurgents from Taliban and the Islamic State (IS), or Daesh groups, in the troubled southern and eastern parts of the conflict-ridden country over the past days, officials said Sunday.

In the latest operations against the hardliner Taliban outfit, 45 Taliban fighters were killed as aircraft pounded their hideouts in Sangin district of the southern Helmand province on Saturday night, police spokesman in the province, Shah Mahmood Ashna said Sunday.

"The air raid was conducted on Taliban militants' positions in Choghak locality of Sangin district Saturday night, killing 45 armed militants on the spot," Ashna told Xinhua.

He also said that the insurgents were attempting to target security checkpoints in the district but pre-emptive air strikes, which also left several militants injured, had foiled their plan for attack.

Taliban militants have yet to make comment.

In a similar crackdown against anti-government militants on the same day, Saturday, 16 militants loyal to the hardliner Islamic State had been killed in Achin district of the eastern Nangarhar province, an army spokesman in the province, Neman Atefi said.

According to Atefi, 16 Daesh fighters had been killed and five others sustained injuries as units of national army have been combing up parts of Achin district over the past 24 hours.

Militants loyal to the group have penetrated parts of Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province including in Achin district along the border with Pakistan's tribal area over the past six months.

However, government forces have launched cleanup operations and so far some 200 Daesh fighters, according to officials have been killed or injured. Endit