Kabul, April 22

At least 78 Taliban militants were killed in various operations conducted by Afghan government forces in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Defence announced on Thursday.

"Forty-four Taliban militants were also wounded and eight others were arrested as a result of Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) operations in Ghazni, Zabul, Herat, Paktika, Balkh, Nimroz, Helmand and Kandahar provinces," the Ministry said in a statement.

The ANDSF also discovered and seized weapons and defused 36 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and landmines during the cited period, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

The statement didn't say if there were any casualties on the side of the Afghan security forces.

The Taliban outfit has not made comments on the Ministry's report so far.

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