Afghan forces kill 20 Taliban militants, recapture Khamab district

(Xinhua) -- Afghan security forces recaptured Khamab district along the border with Turkmenistan from the Taliban militants, provincial governor Lutfullah Azizi said on Sunday.

"The security forces after killing 20 Taliban rebels and arresting 10 others over the past four days recaptured Khamab district and Taliban fighters fled to jungles around the area," Azizi told reporters at a press conference.

During the operations led by First Vice President General Abdul Rashid Dostum, 10 security personnel have been killed and four others injured, the governor said.

He also added that the government forces have been chasing Taliban militants in the neighboring Qarqin and Aqcha districts.

Meantime, Taliban militants in a statement confirmed the clash in Khamad and claimed that the insurgents besides inflicting huge casualties on the government forces have destroyed two tanks, a claim rebuffed by governor Azizi. Enditem