Afghan and NATO-led Coalition forces have eliminated 18 insurgents and detained 55 others during military operations in different parts of the country over the past 24 hours, the country's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.
"The Afghan National Police (ANP), Afghan National Army, NDS or intelligence agency and International Security Assistance Force ( ISAF) forces launched 12 joint operations in areas surrounding Kabul, Kunar, Nangarhar, Helmand, Khost, Uruzgan, Logar, and Ghazni provinces over the past 24 hours," the ministry said in a press release providing daily operational updates to media here, Xinhua reported.
"As a result of these operations, 18 armed insurgents were killed, six wounded and 55 others were arrested," the press release said.
The ANP also discovered and seized 13 AK-47guns, three PKM machine guns, two artillery shells, 59 different types of weapons, 22 heavy bullets, 1,670 light bullets, five anti-vehicle mines, two drums full of explosives, two motorbikes, one vehicle, and three radio handsets, it added.
"Additionally, one insurgent was killed by his own explosives while planting it in areas surrounding Yousaf Khil district of Paktika province on Monday," it said.
Afghan officials often use the word "insurgents" referring to Taliban. However, the insurgent group, who has launched in May this year a rebel offensive against Afghan and NATO forces, has yet to make comments.
Afghan and NATO-led coalition forces have kept up pressure on insurgents all over the country recently as over 380 insurgents were killed and around 490 were arrested by joint forces since the beginning of November this year, according to the Afghan interior ministry.
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