25 Taliban militants killed in Afghanistan: Interior Ministry

“The large-scale security operations were launched in Kunar, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Baghlan, Samangan, Takhar, Kunduz, Faryab, Sar-e-Pol, Balkh, Kandahar, Zabul, Uruzgan, Khost, Paktia, Herat, Badghis and Helmand provinces, killing 25 Taliban militants and detaining 21 others. Eight more miscreants were injured over the past 24 hours,” the Afghan Interior Ministry said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

It added that Afghan forces and NATO-led coalition forces also recovered some 110 kilograms of drugs, 25 assault rifles, 220 kilograms of ammonium nitrate, three walki-talkies, a car and three motorcycles were recovered during the operations.

    The statement did not mention whether there were any casualties on the side of Afghan or foreign forces.

Insecurity continues to rise across Afghanistan despite the presence of some 130,000 US-led forces in the war-torn country.

The United Nations announced on February 4 that 2011 was the deadliest on record for Afghan civilians. The death toll rose eight percent compared to the year before and was roughly double the figure for 2007.

Overall, 3,021 civilians died in violence related to the war and 4,507 were wounded in 2011.

The US-led war in Afghanistan, which has caused record-high civilian and military casualties, has become the longest military conflict in the American history.

Washington invaded Afghanistan in 2001 under the pretext of combating terrorism.