14 militants killed in Afghan operations within day

Fourteen militants were killed in a series of military operations across Afghanistan, said the country 's Interior Ministry on Sunday. "Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) carried out several anti-terrorism operations in Kunduz, Sar-e-Pul, Kandahar, Zabul, Paktika, Paktiya, Herat and Helmand provinces in the past 24 hours. As a result 14 armed Taliban members were killed, six wounded and two others were arrested by ANSF," the ministry said in a statement. In addition, the Afghan National Police found and defused 94 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Nangarhar, Kandahar and Ghazni provinces over the same period of time, the statement noted. The army and police have stepped up efforts to clear the militants across Afghanistan as the country is preparing for the presidential and provincial council elections slated for April 5 this year. The Taliban insurgent group, which has been waging an insurgency for more than a decade, are yet to make comments.