22 Taliban killed in Afghanistan: Officials
Iran Press TV
Sun Oct 20, 2013 9:12PM GMT
Twenty-two Taliban militants have been killed and 16 others arrested during mop-up operations throughout Afghanistan, officials say.
'Afghan police backed by the army and the NATO-led coalition forces have carried out several cleanup operations in Uruzgan, Kandahar, Ghazni, Kunar and Herat provinces over the past 24 hours, killing 22 armed Taliban insurgents,' said a statement issued by the Interior Ministry on Sunday.
The statement added that Afghanistan's National Directorate for Security (NDS) or the country's national intelligence agency has arrested 16 militants. According to the statement, 13 militants were captured in the southern Zabul province and three others in Paktika province.
Of the 22 militants killed, six militants, including a group commander, were killed in Shigal district of the eastern Kunar province Sunday morning.
'Security forces backed by air force stormed a Taliban hideout in Shigal district at 10:00 a.m. local time, killing six rebels including their commander Mullah Mursalin,' Xinhua quoted Abdul Zahir Safi, a district governor, as saying.
The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan as part of the so-called war on terror. The offensive removed the Taliban from power, but the country is still gripped by insecurity.
In late April, the Taliban announced the start of their annual "offensive" against US-led and Afghan forces, vowing a new wave of attacks across Afghanistan.
The militant group said it would use 'every possible tactic' to inflict casualties on Afghan and US-led forces. They specifically mentioned insider attacks, and bomb attacks.
The announcement prompted the Afghan authorities to beef up security in major cities across the country, including the capital city of Kabul.
IA/HN/AS
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