Special forces in Tajikistan have killed 12 suspected insurgents during clashes in the east of the Central Asian republic, the Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday.
Three security force members also died during the multi-day combat operation, the ministry said in the capital Dushanbe, DPA reported.
The hard-to-reach mountainous region, located 200 kilometres east of the capital, is believed to be a hideout for several radical Islamists who escaped from a maximum-security prison in late August.
The number of terrorists attacks in the former Soviet republic has markedly increased since the mass breakout.