19 militants killed in Afghan airstrike

Kabul, June 27 : Nineteen militants were killed as Afghan security forces carried out an airstrike in northern Afghanistan’s Kunduz province, a provincial police spokesperson said on Saturday. “The Afghan air forces conducted a raid on militants’ hideouts in Ali Abad district at midnight, killing 19 militants, including five foreign fighters,” spokesperson Sarwar Hussainee told Xinhua. Eight militants were injured in the attack, the police official said, adding that one woman was among the killed militants. “The airstrike was a part of an ongoing cleanup operation in Ali Abad and the neighbouring Chardara district. The operation will continue till the areas are cleared of armed rebels,” Hussainee noted. Earlier this year, the province had been the scene of heavy fighting as security forces repelled militants who tried to take control of several districts near the provincial capital Kunduz, 250 km north of the Afghan capital. (IANS)