KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): Forty ty insurgents have been killed in Shah Walikot district during an operation aimed to reopen the Kandahar-Uruzgan highway, an official said on Friday.

Two security personnel were killed and a third injured during the overnight operation, with the authorities saying the busy road had been cleared of fighters.

Police spokesman Zia Durrani told Pajhwok Afghan News 40 rebels were eliminated as a result of the raid, which had air support from international troops. An ANA soldier and a policeman were also killed.

The road, which had been blocked for 45 days back, was purged of the militants and the landmines planted on it were defused, he said.

Samim Khpalwak, the governor’s spokesman, also verified the reopening of the route and the Taliban fatalities. The operation has put an end to the transport problem of Uruzgan province, Shah Walikot, Khakrez and Nesh districts.

On the other hand, the Taliban claimed repulsing a raid by security forces in the Kata Sang area of Shah Walikot. The group’s spokesman, Qari Yousaf Ahmadi, said 15 security personnel were killed — an assertion rejected by local authorities.

mud

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