139 insurgents killed in Afghan within 24 hours

Up to 139 armed militants have been killed and 29 others injured during Afghan forces operations in parts of the conflict-hit country over the past 24 hours, Afghan defense ministry said in a statement released here on Thursday.

"Security and defense forces launched a series of operations in parts of the country over the past 24 hours, as a result 139 insurgents including nine Islamic States (IS) fighters have been killed and 29 others injured," the statement said.

It added that 13 suspected militants had been arrested during the operations which are going on in some areas.

Afghan military forces also destroyed five vehicles and 24 motorbikes used by the insurgents, the statement noted, without mentioning the possible casualties of security forces.

Taliban insurgents who have been fighting the government to regain power and reimpose their strict rule in Afghanistan, have not commented yet.