Afghan Forces Kill 17 Militants, Working for Release of 17 Police
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Units of Afghan security forces killed 17 Taliban militants during series of operations across the strife-torn country over the past 24 hours, the government said on Sunday when efforts are under way for the release of 17 police reportedly captured by Taliban militants.
"Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) carried out operations to clean some areas from terrorists and enemies of peace and stability of Afghanistan. The operations were conducted in Nangarhar, Kandahar, Laghman, Badakhshan, Zabul, Uruzgan, Ghazni and Farah provinces. As a result 17 armed Taliban members were killed, 22 wounded and one other was arrested by the ANSF," the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
The security forces also recovered and defused 62 roadside bombs and landmines planted by the militants over the same period, according to the statement.
The statement did not disclose if there were any casualties on the side of security forces.
The Taliban insurgent group has yet to make comments, Xinhua reported.
Meanwhile, the governor of Wardoj district, Daulat Mohammad Khawar, told Xinhua on Sunday that efforts are underway to locate and secure the safe release of 17 police officers reportedly captured by Taliban militants.
The police chief of Badakhshan province, General Baba Jan, confirmed that 17 police had gone missing in Wardoj district during operations against militants last week.
The Wardoj governor disclosed that a delegation of elders had been tasked to contact the armed insurgents to secure the release of the abducted policemen if in militants' custody.
The Taliban outfit in an online statement on Sunday expressed sorrow over the injury of 20 detainees in the Bagram airbase, the main U.S. military base 50 km north of Kabul.
All those injured in Bagram detention center, according to media reports, are anti-government militants who had been arrested by security forces during military operations.
