28 militants killed in Afghanistan

At least 28 militants have been killed in Afghanistan, the defence ministry said Monday.

"The Afghan army carried out several clean-up operations in Helmand, Paktika and Kunar provinces for the past one day, killing 28 Taliban militants, including an insurgent local commander," Xinhua reported citing a defence ministry statement.

It said that five soldiers also lost their lives as a result of the heavy weapons firing and bomb attacks by militants.

The Taliban-led violence continues in Afghanistan. Security forces have pressed on to clear militants, and they are set to take the full security responsibilities of the war-torn country from the NATO-led troops by the end of this month.