KABUL, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Up to 50 anti-government militants including 20 insurgents affiliated to the Islamic State (IS) outfit have been killed in the insurgency-battered Afghanistan over the past 24 hours as military operations are going on in parts of several provinces, deputy spokesman for Defense Ministry, General Mohammad Radmanish said Sunday.
Addressing a press conference here, Radmanish contended that "a total of 50 terrorists including 20 IS fighters have been killed and 27 more terrorists" sustained injuries over the past 24 hours.
Only in Darzab district of the northern Jawzjan province, according to the official, 20 IS insurgents have been killed and several others injured.
The government forces, backed by airpower would continue to target IS fighters in Darzab district. Darzab district in the northern Jawzjan province has been regarded as IS bastion in Jawzjan and adjoining provinces in the northern region of the war-battered Afghanistan.
According to Radmanish, the government forces, backed by airpower, have conducted more than 22 operations in parts of several provinces over the past 24 hours during which several weapon caches of the insurgents have also been destroyed.
Neither Taliban group nor the radical Islamic State outfit has made comment.
Government forces, according to security officials would continue to exert military pressure on the armed opposition groups to weaken the militants' ability ahead of spring and summer commonly known as fighting season in Afghanistan.
