7 militants killed in Afghan raids

Seven militants have been killed and 19 others arrested in separate military operations, the Afghan Interior Ministry said on Saturday. "Over the last 24 hours, the Afghan police supporting by army and coalition forces launched several cleanup operations in surrounding areas of Kandahar, Logar, Farah, Helmand and Paktika provinces, killing seven armed Taliban insurgents and detaining 19 others," the ministry said in a statement. They also found and seized weapons and ammunition besides defusing two landmines, the statement added. The statement did not disclose if there were any casualties on the side of security forces. The Taliban insurgent group, which has been waging an insurgency of more than one decade, has yet to make comments.