9 ANA soldiers among 13 killed

KABUL (Pajhwok): Nine Afghan National Army (ANA) soldiers, two civilians and as many insurgents have been killed during separate incidents of violence over the past 24 hours, officials said on Wednesday.

The nine ANA service members were lost to roadside bomb explosions taking place in various parts of the country since yesterday, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a statement, which issued not details.

Meanwhile, a notorious Taliban commander was killed along with an accomplice during a security operation that left a third rebel injured in the Jaghatu district of central Maidan Wardak province, the governor’s spokesman said.

Attaullah Khogyani identified the slain commander as Qari Ziaul Haq, saying the offensive was conducted last night against insurgents in Dasht-i-Sheikh Ali and Pulandkhel areas of the district.

The security forces and civilians remained unharmed during the operation, he said.

In southern Ghazni province, unidentified gunmen killed two civilians in Andar district, the governor’s spokesman, Shafiq Nang, said. The slain individuals were residents of Kunsaf area.

But a Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, claimed the pair had been killed by Afghan Local Police (ALP) members for their alleged connections with the Taliban.

nh/ma

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