5 militants killed in eastern Afghanistan

Kamdesh District in the Nuristan Province in Afghanistan (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

KABUL, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Five militants were killed by police in a clash after the Taliban launched an attack on a check point in the eastern Afghan province of Nuristan, the country's Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

"Five Taliban militants, including a senior commander of the insurgents namely Mullah Abdul Rahim, were killed after the Afghan National Police (ANP) repelled their attack on a police check point in Kamdish district of Nuristan province Friday night," the ministry said in a statement.

Four militants were also injured in the clash while there were no casualties on the ANP, the statement added.

Taliban militants fighting Afghan and NATO troops have yet to make comments.

Afghan forces and NATO-led coalition troops have intensified cleanup operations against the Taliban and other militant groups across the country recently as spring and summer, known as " fighting season", are drawing near. Over 350 insurgents have been killed and more than 840 others detained during military operations in the country so far this year, according to the Afghan Interior Ministry.

Posted in: Afghan National Police, Afghanistan, Nuristan Province, Taliban