Afghanistan: 21 Taliban militants killed in clash

At least 21 Taliban militants were killed in a clash with Afghan security forces in Afghanistan's Paktia province.

TOLOnews quoted officials as saying that the clash broke out around Monday midnight in Janikhel district when the militants launched an attack on the security check posts. The attack reportedly ended on Tuesday.

The officials added that dozens of militants were injured, while four security forces were killed in the ambush. Six others were injured.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Taliban said that their fighters had taken control of the district and killed a number of security troops. However, the office of Paktia governor dismissed the group's claims and clarified that the militants suffered heavy casualties during the clash.

The attack came before the group announced the death of Haqqani network founder Jalaluddin Haqqani on Tuesday.