115 Taliban killed in last 24 hours in clashes with Afghan security forces

Afghanistan's Ministry of Defence has said that 115 Taliban were killed and 39 others were injured during the last 24 hours.

In a statement, the ministry said that a large amount of their ammunition and weapons have also been destroyed. The statement further said that these Taliban were killed in reciprocal attacks following their attacks on Afghan National Security Forces (ANDSF) checkpoints.

Out of these, 18 Taliban were killed and 12 others were wounded after they attacked ANDSF checkpoints in Nawa district of Helmand province. Similarly, eight Taliban were killed and two were injured when they were planning to attack ANDSF checkpoints in Dawlat Abad district of Balkh province. Meanwhile, the UNHCR on Tuesday called for protection and support for civilians affected by violence in Afghanistan. Due to a fresh wave of fighting between the Taliban and government forces in the Helmand province, more than 5,000 families nearly 40,000 people have fled in the last 10 days since clashes erupted.

Talks between Taliban and Afghan government negotiators began last month in Doha. However, the process has only moved slowly, while violence has escalated.