Afghan forces evict Taliban from around Kunduz city

Kabul, July 23 Afghan special forces on Friday evicted Taliban militants from several villages from around Kunduz city, capital of the northern Kunduz province, a top police official said.

Units of Special Force attacked Taliban hideouts and positions in Charkhab, Kandak Anayat and Tepa Murch villages early Friday morning, forcing the insurgents to evacuate after suffering casualties and leaving 10 bodies behind, Xinhua news agency quoted the official as saying.

Five more militants were injured, the official said, adding that no security personnel has been harmed during the ongoing operation.

Taliban militants have been mounting pressure on the provincial capital Kunduz city.

The government forces captured Karukh district in the western Herat province early Friday, according to local officials.

Spokesman for the Defence Ministry Fawad Aman has said that the government forces would soon launch counter-offensives to recapture all the districts overrun by the Taliban since the start of the US-led forces withdrawal from Afghanistan on May 1.