9 Afghan soldiers, 59 militants killed within 2 days

About 59 militants have been killed in Afghan army operations across the country over the last two days, said the Defense Ministry on Saturday morning.
"Afghan National Army (ANA) conducted cleanup operations in Kunar, Paktiya, Ghazni, Kandahar, Uruzgan, Badakhshan, Herat, Nangarhar and Helmand provinces within the last 48 hours, killing 59 militants, wounding 33 and detaining 16 other militants," the ministry said in a statement.
The ANA personnel also seized weapons and ammunition, and the army specialists defused 106 roadside bombs and landmines during the operations, according to the statement.
The statement also confirmed that nine army soldiers were killed in roadside bombings over the same period.
The Taliban-led violence continues in Afghanistan. Security forces have pressed on to clear the militants in restive provinces.
The Taliban responds by bombing and armed attacks.
The war-torn country is due to take over the responsibility for its own security from foreign troops by the end of the year.
Nearly 50,000 NATO-led coalition troops, down from the peak of 130,000 in 2010, are stationed in Afghanistan. Some 32,800 of them are Americans and the United States plans to trim its forces to less than 10,000 next year.