LASHKARGAH (Pajhwok): An ongoing operation was overnight extended to the Khanshin district of southern Helmand province, with security forces capturing six Pakistani militants, police said on Sunday.
Deputy Helmand police chief Col. Pacha Gul Bakhtiyar told reporters the six Pakistanis were detained last night with some documents.
He said the “Operation Zulfikar” was going well in southern districts as compared to past operations and so far no civilian had been harmed.
Air force commandos were also assisting ground forces during the operation, which was launched in Sangin district about a week ago, Bakhtiyar said.
As a result of the operation, provincial capital Lashkargah, Nad Ali, Marja and Nawa districts have been cleared of militants. Bakhtiyar claimed insurgents had been inflicted heavy casualties so far.
He said dozens of landmines were defused in Sangin, where 159 militants had been killed and 93 others wounded. So far two civilians and a dozen policemen have been injured.
The police official said two policemen and 22 insurgents, most of them commanders, had been killed during the operation in Sangin’s Tarkha Nawa area. The clashes also left four policemen injured, he said.
The area would be soon cleared and security posts would be established, Bakhtikar said.
A member of the Sangin’s social council, Ali Shah Khan, told Pajhwok Afghan News that area residents were happy with the latest operation.
He said residents had so far suffered no casualties during the ongoing offensive and security forces had established their posts in most of the areas.
The Taliban have so far said nothing about the week’s old operation, which security officials say is advancing slowly to avoid civilian casualties.
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