Afghan Security forces in a clear-up operation have killed nearly three dozen suspected insurgents in Helmand province of southern Afghanistan, a local newspaper reported Monday.
"Thirty five Taliban fighters have been killed in the clean up operation launched after Eidul Adha (religious festival) late last week," daily Outlook quoted a military officer Muhiuddin Ghauri as saying.
During the operation backed by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and covered parts of the restive Helmand province, three Taliban commanders had also been killed.
The operation, according to Ghauri, has been launched to pave the way for upcoming presidential elections in restive areas and restart the reconstruction projects.
Ghauri, nevertheless, contended that neither civilians nor security elements had been killed during the fighting.
Meantime, Taliban purported spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmadi rejected the claim and in talks with media from an undisclosed location disputed the claim, saying the Taliban remained unhurt in the operation.
Spiraling conflicts and Taliban-linked insurgency have claimed more than 5,000 people, mostly militants, so far this year despite over 70,000-strong international troops stationed in strife-torn Afghanistan.