19 militants killed in N. Afghan airstrikes

MAIMANA, AFGHANISTAN: JULY 28 – At least 19 Taliban militants were killed and four hijacked military armoured vehicles were destroyed on Wednesday when the Afghan Air Force targeted Taliban positions in the country’s northern province of Faryab, the military confirmed.

The air force hit Taliban hideouts in Almar district at midday on Wednesday when Taliban militants intensified their offensive against the government forces on the outskirts of provincial capital Maimana, the army’s 209th Shaheen Corps said in a statement.

Besides, a Taliban heavy gun was also destroyed by Afghan warplanes in an adjacent area of Maimana at the cited time, the statement said.

The militants fired scores of heavy gun shells on the city within the past two days, causing civilian casualties and destruction, the statement said.

The province has been in the scene of heavy clashes after Taliban militants took control of several suburban districts, including Almar in recent weeks.

The militant group has yet to make comments.

-XINHUA