4 Afghan security personnel, 63 Taliban militants dead in recent violence

Kabul, July 16 At least four Afghan security personnel and 63 Taliban militants have been killed in the recent violence raging across the country, sources said on Friday.

In Samangan province, four security forces were killed in a Taliban attack on the Rabatak security checkpoint on Thursday night, Reduction in Violence, a local independent monitoring group, said on social media.

Also on Thursday night, the Afghan Air Force (AAF) targeted a Taliban gathering on the outskirts of Sari Pul city, capital of northern Sari Pul province, killing 11 militants and destroying two vehicles, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

Earlier on Thursday, "20 Taliban militants were killed and 20 others were wounded in airstrikes conducted by the AAF in Shuhada district in Badakhshan province" the ministry.

Those among the killed was a Taliban's deputy shadow district chief for Shuhada, the statement said, adding six militants' vehicles and some amount of their ammunition were destroyed.

Besides, 32 Taliban militants were killed and 10 others were wounded in a clean-up operation conducted by Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) with the support of the AAF on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, the capital city of Helmand province, according to Ministry.

Earlier on Friday, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on social media that they have destroyed a helicopter of the government forces in a tactical attack in Kunduz province.

He posted a photo on his social media account.

However, Afghan military officials have not commented on the report so far.

As the US and NATO troops have been leaving the country, violence in Afghanistan is on the rise.