43 militants killed in counter-terrorism operations in Afghanistan

Of these, 17 were IS fighters; no official report of any casualties on the security forces side

At least 43 militants were killed in military operations in Afghanistan, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.

"In the past 24 hours, Afghan National Defence and Security Forces launched eight counter-terrorism operations in Kunar, Wardak, Nangarhar, Zabul, Logar and Kunduz provinces," Xinhua news agency cited a ministry statement as saying.

Among the killed, 17 were Islamic State (IS) fighters, it said. Eight persons were wounded in the raids.

The statement did not say if there were any casualties on the security forces side.

The Afghan security forces have beefed up operations against militants recently as spring and summer known as fighting seasons are drawing near in the mountainous Asian country.