18 Taliban killed

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The Defence Ministry Friday claimed the Afghan and US-led coalition forces had killed 18 militants in the southern Kandahar and Uruzgan provinces.
The ministry's spokesman Zahir Azimi told Pajhwok Afghan News 10 militants were gunned down following joint operations by the Afghan National Army and the coalition forces in the Ghorak and Khakrez districts of the Kandahar province.

Azimi said the operation started in the morning and continued till Thursday evening. He said one car and a motor cycle were also captured during the crackdown.

The same day, Azimi added, three Taliban fighters were killed and two others captured in a clash that occurred some 30 kilometres from the provincial capital Tirinkot. In another encounter in the Chora district of Uruzgan, the Afghan and coalition forces killed five fighters and arrested two others. Five Ak-47 assault rifles and one rocket have also been recovered from the arrested militants.

Taliban purported spokesman Latifullah Hakimi confirmed the clashes but rejected the Defence Ministry's claims regarding the killing and capturing of the Taliban as baseless.