By Aamir Latif
KABUL
Afghan troops launched a series of operations against Taliban militants around the country, killing 69 militants, the government said.
An Interior Ministry statement released Sunday said another 30 were wounded over the 24-hour period in nine provinces.
The statement said: “Several Taliban group commanders are among the dead militants. The terrorists suffered heavy causalities in Faryab and Helmand provinces.”
Security forces seized weapons and explosives and defused 10 roadside bombs.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan military claimed 15 militants were killed in airstrikes in North Waziristan Sunday.
Inter Services Public Relations said fighter jets targeted five militant hideouts in remote Shawal Valley on the Pakistan- Afghanistan border.
The army claims to have killed more than 1,250 Taliban fighters since June 15. The figures cannot be verified due to a media-ban in the area.
The operation has forced nearly one million people to take refuge in nearby Bannu district.
Separately, at least six militants were killed early Sunday in an attack on a paramilitary checkpoint in a tribal area bordering Afghanistan, officials said.
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