Afghan security forces, in efforts to root out militants in the northern Baghlan province, kicked off an offensive Wednesday morning, a senior military officer in the province Abdul Ahad said, reported Xinhua.
"It is a joint operation launched early this morning and it is involved by Afghan army, police and Hungarian forces served under NATO," Ahad told Xinhua.
Dubbed as Shaheen (Falcon) and aimed at cleaning the area from militants and ensuring security ahead of election, the operation would continue until the objective is met, the officer further said.
Meantime, militants loyal to Taliban, al-Qaida and the radical Islamic party the Hizb-e-Islami are active in the province, Ahad said.
Just weeks ago, 18 insurgents including some from Chechnya had been killed in clash with government troops in Baghlan, he stressed.
Baghlan and Kunduz provinces in north Afghanistan have been the scene of increasing militancy over the past several months.
Afghanistan presidential and provincial councils elections will be held on August 20 amid tight security.
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