ISLAMABAD
Afghan forces have killed 51 Taliban and lost five of their own troops in the latest crackdown against insurgents, according to Afghan authorities.
Four others were killed when the explosives they were trying to plant exploded.
The Afghan Ministry of the Interior said in a statement on Sunday: "Afghan forces, in counter-terrorist operations carried out in various provinces of Afghanistan in the past 24 hours, have killed 50 militants and wounded 32 others."
The statement further added that at least 16 Taliban were arrested during the operation and 18 AK-47 rifles, three rocket launchers, one machine gun and some explosive devices, or IEDs, were confiscated.
The statement also added: "Four Taliban militants were killed by their own explosives which exploded while they were planting it to target Afghan forces in the Girishk district of southern Helmand province last night."
Another militant was shot dead by security forces before he could position an explosive near government installations in Qalat city, the provincial capital of southern Zabul province.
Roadside bombs and improvised explosive devices are the conflict’s biggest killer of Afghan and foreign troops in Afghanistan.
A roadside bomb blast killed the police chief of Sabari district and wounded four others in eastern Afghanistan's Khost province on Saturday, the provincial government said in a statement.
In a separate incident, five Afghan national army soldiers lost their lives following a roadside bomb blast and combat operations.
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