KABUL, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Afghan government forces have adopted aggressive tactics and begun targeting anti-government militants elsewhere in the insurgency-riddled country, said a statement of National Defense Ministry released here on Tuesday.
Quoted the Defense Ministry spokesman General Dawlat Waziri, the statement asserted that currently 10 aggressive operations are underway in eight of the country's 34 provinces to eliminate the armed insurgents.
The units of Special Forces have also conducted 13 special operations elsewhere in the country over the past 24 hours, the statement asserted.
According to Waziri, the focal points of the military crackdown presently is Jawzjan, Takhar, Sari Pul, Ghazni, Badakhshan, Baghlan, Helmand and Faryab provinces where the armed insurgents including Taliban and Islamic State outfits have been challenging the government forces.
More than 50 militants, according to security officials, have been killed outside of Kabul in the country over the past two days.
A foreign fighter from Tajikistan, according to the statement of Defense Ministry is among the four militants killed in Jurm district of the northern Badakhshan province on Tuesday.
About 150 militants, according to security officials, have been killed elsewhere in the war-battered Afghanistan over the past one week as government forces have increased ground and air operations against militant groups.
Although the government has not released the casualties of security forces, Taliban outfit has claimed killing scores of Afghan police and army personnel over the period.
Around a dozen civilians including four children and two footballers have also lost their lives in conflict-related activities in Afghanistan over the past one week.
"The defense and security forces would continue to chase the armed insurgents and would continue to take any necessary steps to stabilize peace and security in Afghanistan," the statement quoted Waziri as saying.