6 Taliban militants killed, 2 held alive in Helmand operations

AVA- The provincial government media office in a statement said Tuesday that the militants were killed in the vicinity of Nahr-e-Saraj and Nad-e-Ali districts.

The statement further added that the Afghan ground and air forces carried out a series of operations against the hideouts of the Taliban in Spin Masjid area, leaving three militants dead and another militant wounded.

The Afghan forces also conducted operations in Nad-e-Ali district where three Taliban militants were killed, the governor’s office said.

In another operation conducted in Marja district, the Afghan security forces arrested two Taliban insurgents and their weapons were confiscated, the statement said.

According to the provincial government, the Afghan forces discovered and confiscated twenty improvised explosive devices during the same operations.

The anti-government armed militant groups including the Taliban insurgents have not commented regarding the reports so far.

Helmand is among the relatively volatile provinces in southern Afghanistan where the anti-government armed militant groups are actively operating in a number of its districts and often carry out insurgency activities.

The local officials said last week that the Afghan Special Forces also confiscated 10 mortar rounds, 207 RPG rockets, 150 Improvised Explosive Devices, 50 remote-controlled landmines, 350 different types of ammunition rounds, 20 hand grenades, 320 kgs of explosives, and 234 equipments to be used in landmines.