44 Taliban militants killed in Afghan raids

44 Taliban militants have been killed in military operations in different Afghan provinces, the Interior Ministry said Monday. "Afghan National Police (ANP), Afghan army and intelligence agency in collaboration with the NATO-led coalition forces launched seven operations in Kunar, Nangarhar, Kunduz, Wardak, Logar, Paktia and Helmand provinces, killing 44 armed Taliban insurgents and detaining 20 others within the past 24 hours," the ministry said in a statement. The statement did not disclose if there were any casualties on the side of security forces. The Taliban insurgents, who have been waging insurgency of more than one decade, have yet to confirm the death toll. The Afghan forces and some 130,000 NATO-led coalition troops have intensified cleanup operations against insurgents recently.