As many as 22 foreign nationals fighting alongside the Taliban have been killed in a military operation conducted by the Afghan defense and security forces in Musa Qala district of the southern Helmand province, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said in a statement.
The statement further noted that 14 Taliban militants were arrested and a large weapon cache of the militant group was destroyed during the operation.
“Five Pakistani citizens and one Bangladeshi national are among the arrested militants,” the statement noted.
Meanwhile, media office of Helmand governor confirmed in a separate statement that operation was conducted last night, September 22, by Afghan air force.
According to the statement, Ehsan, Haqbin, and Farhad, the three Taliban commanders, are among the dead.
The Taliban, however, said in a statement that airstrikes of the Afghan forces hit wedding ceremonies in two villages in the vicinity of Musa Qala market which killed and wounded dozens of civilians, including women and children.
