19 Taliban militants killed in Afghanistan over 24 hours

Kabul, May 1 (Xinhua-ANI): Afghan police, backed by army and NATO-led coalition forces, have eliminated 19 Taliban militants during cleanup operations across the country within the past 24 hours, the Afghan Interior Ministry said on Tuesday morning. "Afghan National Police (ANP), Afghan National Army, NDS or Afghan intelligence agency and Coalition Forces launched 11 joint cleanup operations in Kabul, Baghlan, Faryab, Kandahar, Helmand, Wardak, Logar, Khost, and Farah provinces over the past 24 hours," the ministry said in a statement.

"As a result of these operations, 19 armed Taliban insurgents were killed, three wounded and five other suspects were arrested," it said.

The joint forces also found and seized weapons and eight motorcycles used by insurgents besides defusing three anti-vehicle mines, the statement said, without saying if there were any casualties on the side of security forces.

Taliban militants have yet to make comments.

Afghan forces and some 130,000 NATO-led coalition troops have intensified cleanup operations against Taliban and other militant groups throughout the country recently as spring and summer, known as "fighting season" draw near.

Over 570 insurgents have been killed and more than 1,400 others detained in the country since beginning of this year, according to the figures released by Afghan Interior Ministry. (Xinhua-ANI)