As many as 21 Taliban fighters were killed in northern Jowzjan province in two separate airstrikes conducted by the Afghan forces, Afghan security officials confirmed.
Mohammad Hanif Rezaie, spokesperson for 209 Shahin Corps, confirmed to Kabul Now that air strikes were conducted on Wednesday night in Mingajik district of Jowzjan. According to security officials, the Afghan forces conducted raids on Taliban hideout in wee hours and killed 21 of them.
Mr. Rezaie said that Afghan forces successfully conducted a cleansing operation in Qonli Adok village. Operations are underway in northern Jowzjan province, the security officials say.
The Afghan security forces have launched military campaigns in response to a series of Taliban attacks which killed over 100 people including Afghan security forces over the last couple of months.
The clashes between the Afghan security forces and the Taliban militants continue while the two sides are preparing for a peace settlement. Under a peace deal signed between Washington and the militant group on February 29, in Doha, Qatar, the Taliban made an oral commitment to reduce violence and avoid targeting American military bases in the country, public infrastructures and government facilities but the commitment was broken a week after reduction in violence period and the militants launched multiple attacks on government facilities, public infrastructures and Afghan security forces.
As recently as on May 18, a Taliban car bomb targeted an intelligence facility in Ghazni which killed seven people and wounded 40 others including civilians.
