1st LD Writethru: Afghan forces recapture northern Dand-e-Ghori district

Afghan security forces after weeks of heavy battle recaptured Dand-e-Ghori district in northern Baghlan province and dislodged Taliban militants from the area, provincial governor Abdul Sattar Bariz said Thursday.

"The government forces swept out all enemies in Dand-e-Ghori on Wednesday night and since then cleanup operations including house to house search have been continuing in different parts of the district," Bariz told reporters here.

However, he could not provide details about possible casualties of either side, saying details would be shared with media later in the day.

Dand-e-Ghori has served as bastion of Taliban in the northern Baghlan province from where the militants organized their activities in Baghlan and its neighboring Kunduz and Takhar provinces.

To evict Taliban from the area, the government launched major offensive five weeks ago during which some 200 armed militants, according to officials, have been killed.

Taliban militants who claim to have killed some 100 security forces over the past five weeks, are yet to make comment on the situation in Dand-e-Ghori.

Parts of the northern Baghlan province with Pul-e-Khumri as its capital 160 km north of Kabul has been the scene of militancy over the past couple of years. Enditem