16 Talibans killed in Afghanistan

Afghan forces killed 16 Taliban militants and injured 19 others while evicting them from several villages in Dand-e-Ghori area in Baghlan province, police said Thursday.

"The security forces have recaptured several villages including the main base of Taliban rebels over the past four days," police chief Ekramudin Sari told Xinhua news agency.

Dand-e-Ghori was captured by Taliban two years ago and since then has been regarded as a Taliban stronghold in the northern Baghlan province.

The ongoing operations against the Taliban in Dand-e-Ghori would last until the area was cleansed of the insurgents, Sari said.

Taliban militants were yet to comment on the development.-IANS