12 militants Killed in military operation in Afghanistan

SANAA, Oct. 20 (YPA) – ِMore than 12 of Taliban militants were killed and 16 villages freed from the grip of militants in northern Afghanistan’s Baghlan province, Afghanistan’s army spokesman Abdul Hadi Jamal in the northern region said.

According to Xinhua, the spokesman said that the operation was launched four days ago against Taliban militants in parts of the province and so far 16 villages have been liberated in the districts of Dand Gori, Dan Shehabuddin and Kilajay in the troubled province.

More than 24 other militants, including a senior Taliban commander, Qari Bakhtiar, who served as deputy shadow governor of Baghlan province, were wounded during the ongoing operation.

Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, denied the government’s claim and insisted the operation by security forces had been thwarted.

Baghlan province in the north and its capital, Bel Khamri, 160 km north of Kabul, has been the scene of increasing insurgency over the past two years.