54 militants killed in Afghanistan

Kabul, March 15: At least 54 Taliban militants were killed as the Afghan army pressed ahead with offensives in restive provinces, the Afghan defence ministry said on Sunday.  “Afghan tiol Army carried out cleanup operations in Ghazni, Kandahar, Laghman, Faryab and Sari Pul provinces in the past 24 hours, killing 49 armed militants, wounding several and detaining 18 others,” Xinhua quoted the ministry as saying in a statement. Meanwhile, five militants were killed and six wounded in an ongoing offensive in the southern province of Helmand, the statement said. Two soldiers were also killed during the operations. (IANS)