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Roundup: 31 militants killed in clashes in Afghanistan

Xinhua, December 14, 2015 Adjust font size:

Afghan security forces' ongoing crackdown against Taliban militants in the northern Kunduz and eastern Ghazni provinces have claimed the lives of 31 armed insurgents since Monday morning, police said.

Units of police backed by the army launched cleanup operations in some villages outside Kunduz city the capital of northern Kunduz province early Monday and so far 12 armed militants have been killed, provincial police chief Mohammad Qasim Jangalbagh said.

"Units of national security forces launched cleanup operations in some villages including Kanam and Hazrat-e-Sultan on the outskirts of Kunduz city early Monday morning and so far 12 rebels have been killed," Jangalbagh told reporters.

Three vehicles of militants have been destroyed and 10 pieces of the assault rifle Kalashnikovs were seized during the operation, which is still continuing, the official asserted.

Taliban militants who are active in parts of Kunduz province have not made any comment.

A similar crackdown against militants in the eastern Ghazni province, according to police, left 19 Taliban fighters dead on Monday.

"Security forces launched cleanup operations in Spinband area of Aband district, Ghazni province in the wee hours of Monday and so far 19 rebels including Taliban group commander Mullah Nasratullah have been killed," provincial police spokesman Mohammad Ibrahim Amiri told Xinhua.

A number of arms and ammunition including four pieces of AK-47 assault rifles were also seized during the operations, the official said.

There were no casualties on the side of security personnel, the police spokesman said.

Ghazni province with Ghazni city as its capital 125 km south of Kabul has been the scene of Taliban activities over the past few years.

The crackdown against Taliban in Kunduz and Ghazni provinces has taken place amid heavy fighting between Taliban and security forces in Taliban's former stronghold the southern Helmand province.

Taliban militants who have intensified pressure on security in the troubled Helmand province over the past several months, in an online statement on Monday, claimed capturing security posts in the restive Gereshk and Marja districts of Helmand province and inflicting casualties on security personnel. Endit