KABUL, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Afghan forces in separate operations against the armed insurgents have captured two detention centers of the Taliban group in northern Baghlan and neighboring Kunduz provinces, setting free more than 50 detainees in a single day on Tuesday, officials said.
In the latest crackdown on Taliban fighters, security forces stormed a Taliban bastion in Aqtash district of Kunduz province at 2:00 a.m. local time and besides inflicting casualties on the insurgent group also set free 13 detainees, provincial police spokesman Inamudin Rahmani said.
In talks with Xinhua, Rahmani said the majority of the Taliban former hostages were civilians and the Taliban outfit had badly mistreated them in the custody.
in another crackdown, Afghan forces raided a Taliban base in Larkhabia area of Baghlan-e-Markazi district, Baghlan province, in the wee hours of Tuesday and released 44 inmates including security personnel and civilians, district governor Khanzada Mazlomyar confirmed. However, locals say that the number of released hostages stands less than 44.
Confirming the operations, Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told Xinhua that 17 of the detainees released in Baghlan were civilians and the remaining are personnel of security forces including army and police.
Afghan Defense Minister Assadullah Khalid has instructed his forces to spare no efforts in targeting and destroying militants' hideouts across the country.
Afghan Presidential Advisor on National Security Hamdullah Mohib told local media that security forces would "break the backbone of the Taliban" within four months.
