'130 militants killed' in northern Afghanistan clashes

Up to 130 suspected militants have been killed during clashes in northern Faryab province bordering Turkmenistan in the last one week, according to the military Friday.

Addressing journalists in Faryab, Afghan army's Gen. Amanullah Mubin said large swaths of land that used to be under the control of the Taliban in restive Ghormach district had now been retaken.

"In these air-and-ground offensives since a week, 130 Taliban militants, including one of their top commander Abdul Rahman alias Shorawai [Soviet] have been killed and 90 others wounded," Mubin said.

Taliban and pro-Daesh militants are said to be particularly active in Faryab, Jawzjan, Sar-e-Pul, Kunduz, Baghlan, Badges and Badakhshan provinces.

Taliban did not specifically comment on the military operation in Ghormach, but the group's spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahed, tweeted the claim that over 30 soldiers had been killed in the past 24 hours in various parts of the country.

In a similar push into Taliban territory in the south, Afghan armed forces on Thursday claimed to have killed over 80 suspected militants in Uruzban's Chora district after six days of intense fighting.