20 Afghan militants killed in raids

Twenty Taliban militants were killed in military operations conducted by the Afghan security forces since early Friday, the Interior Ministry said Saturday morning. "Afghan police, army and intelligence agency carried out several operations across the country and battled the militants within the last 24 hours, killing 20 armed Taliban insurgents," the ministry said in a statement. In addition, three insurgents were wounded and 11 others were arrested by the joint forces during the raids in Balkh, Wardak, Nangarhar and Ghazni provinces, the statement added. The joint forces also found and seized weapons, the statement said, without saying if there were any casualties on the side of security forces. The army and police have stepped up efforts to clear the militants across Afghanistan as the country is preparing for the presidential and provincial council general elections slated for April 5.