Nine Taliban militants were killed and three others wounded after Afghan army troops launched a cleanup operation in Andar district of Ghazni province on Friday the ministry said in a statement Xinhua reported.
On the same day four militants of Islamic State (IS) militant group were killed after an Afghan Air Force-led airstrike struck an IS hideout in Khogyani district of neighbouring Nangarhar province.
The violence has been on the rise as Afghan security forces struggle against a surge in attacks by militants at the time when the country is preparing for parliamentary and district councils elections slated for later this month.
During the October 20 elections nearly 9 million registered voters including 3 million women will cast their ballots to elect members of the 249-seat lower house of parliament for a five-year term while they will also vote to elect members of the district councils.
--IANS pgh/
