Kabul - Agencies
Twenty armed insurgents have been killed and seven others have been detained during the past 24 hours in different areas of Afghanistan, the Afghan Interior Ministry announced. The Afghan National Police, Afghan National Army, National Directorate of Security (NDS) and Coalition Forces launched four joint clearance operations in Kunar, Nangarhar, Helmand and Uruzgan provinces, the Ministry said in a statement. During these operations, Afghan National Police discovered and confiscated 13 different types of weapons, heavy rounds, mines, 60 kilograms of explosive materials, and motorbikes among other items. In the meantime, the National Police arrested a mine planter while he was planting a roadside mine in the Zazai Maidan District of Khost province. Additionally, ISAF has announced the killing of two of its members southern Afghanistan; one following an insurgent attack and the other in an improvised explosive device attack. The Force cited no details nor the identities of the service members. Since the beginning of 2012, 209 coalition forces\' soldiers have been killed in different incidents in Afghanistan.