34 Taliban militants killed in Afghanistan clashes

Clashes between Taliban militants and the security forces left thirty-four Taliban militants dead, six in Badghis Province and 28 in Hillmand of Afghanistan.   A group of militants attacked a police station in Badghis with heavy weapons early in the morning, said the police chief of Badghis. A commander of Taliban, Molla Abdullah, also died in the attack while four militants were wounded. No police or civilians were reported to have been harmed in the conflict. In Hillmand province, clashes killed 28 Taliban militants and left 13 others wounded, the spokesperson for the Hillmand governor's office, Omar Zwak, told Anadolu Agency. Afghan security forces blockaded the area where Taliban were intensely mobilised, and thus Taliban had to go away from the area through the road on which they previously planted mines, which caused Taliban to suffer casualties, said the spokesperson. The Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001 before being ousted by US-led forces, have recently stepped up their attacks on government and foreign force and their facilities. The foreign forces are scheduled to withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of 2014.