KABUL: At least 40 fighters with majority of them militants were killed across Afghanistan over the past 24 hours as the Afghan government has been pushing for talks with the Taliban to end the war, officials said Monday.
In the latest waves of violent incident, five militants were killed on the spot as military planes struck a Taliban hideout in Imam Sahib district of the northern Kunduz province on Monday, district governor Mahboubullah Sayedi said. The government forces, according to the official, have made headway in Imam Sahib district and cleared over a dozen villages from the insurgents in the troubled district over the past couple of days.
A total of 37 villages have also been cleared of militants in Andkhoi, Qargan and Khawja Sabzposh districts of the northern Faryab province over the past 24 hours, forcing the Taliban fighters to retreat after leaving 18 bodies behind and incurring injuries of 10 fighters, provincial police spokesman Mohammad Karim Yurash told Xinhua.
At least 17 more fighters including six Afghan security personnel and 11 Taliban insurgents had been killed in the country over the past 24 hours, according to local security officials. Fighting has been continuing amid efforts to bring the government and Taliban on negotiating table.
Afghan president Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, who has announced a 46-member High Council for National Reconciliation led by Abdullah Abdullah for talks with the Taliban, said his government wants early return of lasting peace in the country. Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah said he hoped that peace talks with the Taliban would kick off next week. He also said the government is pushing for talks with the Taliban to find a permanent solution to the country’s lingering crisis.–Agencies
