Up to 33 insurgents have killed during military operations in different Afghan provinces within the past 24 hours, the country's Interior Ministry said on Tuesday morning.
"Afghan police, army and coalition forces have conducted seven joint cleanup operations in Helmand, Uruzgan, Wardak, Logar, Ghazni, Khost and Paktia provinces killing 33 armed insurgents and detaining 12 other suspected insurgents over the past 24 hours," the ministry said in a statement providing daily operational updates.
They also found and seized weapons beside defusing 19 rounds of mines, the statement said, without saying if there were any casualties on the side of security forces.
However, the Taliban insurgent group, which announced the launching of a spring offensive from May 3 against Afghan and NATO forces, has not to make comments yet.
Afghan forces and some 130,000 NATO-led coalition troops have intensified cleanup operations against insurgents recently. Records kept by Xinhua, based on figures released by Interior Ministry, reveal that around 690 insurgents have been killed, 137 wounded and over 660 others detained since May 1 by joint forces.
But the insurgents in retaliation responded by carrying out suicide attacks and roadside bombings especially in southern and eastern parts of the country.
Insurgents killed five civilians in Sangin district of southern Helmand province on Saturday, accusing them for supporting the government and foreign troops, said a statement issued by provincial government earlier Tuesday.
"Afghan police, army and coalition forces have conducted seven joint cleanup operations in Helmand, Uruzgan, Wardak, Logar, Ghazni, Khost and Paktia provinces killing 33 armed insurgents and detaining 12 other suspected insurgents over the past 24 hours," the ministry said in a statement providing daily operational updates.
They also found and seized weapons beside defusing 19 rounds of mines, the statement said, without saying if there were any casualties on the side of security forces.
However, the Taliban insurgent group, which announced the launching of a spring offensive from May 3 against Afghan and NATO forces, has not to make comments yet.
Afghan forces and some 130,000 NATO-led coalition troops have intensified cleanup operations against insurgents recently. Records kept by Xinhua, based on figures released by Interior Ministry, reveal that around 690 insurgents have been killed, 137 wounded and over 660 others detained since May 1 by joint forces.
But the insurgents in retaliation responded by carrying out suicide attacks and roadside bombings especially in southern and eastern parts of the country.
Insurgents killed five civilians in Sangin district of southern Helmand province on Saturday, accusing them for supporting the government and foreign troops, said a statement issued by provincial government earlier Tuesday.
Source : Afghan Voice Agency (AVA), International Service
