Nearly 20 Taliban militants have been killed and several others wounded during anti-militancy operations launched by Afghan national security forces across the war-torn country.
The Afghan Interior Ministry said in a statement that the operations were jointly carried out by Afghan police and army forces in the provinces of Kunduz, Faryab, Badakhshan, Sar-e-Pul, Ghazni, Herat, and Ghor on Dec.14, PressTV reported.
At least 19 Taliban militants were killed, some 11 injured and five others arrested during the operations. Afghan forces also managed to defuse 32 impoverished explosive devices (IEDs) in different areas, according to the statement.
The Taliban militant group has yet to comment on the report.
The security operations came after Afghanistan witnessed a spike in militant attacks, including assaults targeting foreigners in the capital Kabul over the past days.
On Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the new wave of terror attacks against Afghans and foreigners, calling on all religious, political, and social leaders to undertake serious efforts to fight militancy.
The Taliban militant group has vowed to escalate the attacks on Afghan forces and US-led troops, their bases, diplomatic missions, and vehicle convoys before the foreign forces exit the country at the end of 2014.