Afghan army uncovered and defused 109 Taliban homemade bombs or Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) within the past seven days cross the war-torn country, Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimi said Wednesday.
"The personnel of Afghan National Army (ANA) have found and defused 109 roadside bombs and IEDs over the past seven days ending on Wednesday," Azimi told reporters in a weekly press briefing here.
The Taliban insurgent group, which has been waging more than a decade-long insurgency, stepped up their attacks on Afghan and some 130,000 NATO-led troops since a spring offensive was launched on May 3 this year.
"A total of 25 IED explosions have been registered by army personnel over the same period of time, leaving military and civilian casualties," Azimi added, without disclosing the number of the fatalities by the blasts.
Taliban has launched massive IED attacks against Afghan and foreign security force in recent years but the lethal weapon also inflicted casualties on civilians. Eight civilians were killed when a vehicle touched off an IED in eastern Logar province on Wednesday June 20.
"The Taliban has lost the ability to fight with security forces and in retaliation they launch IED attacks against security forces, " the spokesman said, adding that some 95 percent of army fatalities have been caused by roadside bombs and IEDs in recent months.
Earlier in the day seven policemen were killed and three others wounded in three separate IED attacks in northern Kunduz and southern Helmand province.
He made the comments when the Afghan forces and NATO troops have completed transition in the first two of five tranches of provinces and districts across the country where about half of the Afghan population now lives.
Afghanistan is due to take over the leadership of its own security duties from U.S. and NATO forces by the end of 2014.
Under the U.S. President Barack Obama's withdrawal plan, 10,000 U.S. troops already pulled out from Afghanistan last year and another 23,000 will return home by September this year.
In another development, five local residents and a Taliban fighter were killed following a clash in Andar district in the eastern province of Ghazni earlier Wednesday.
"A group of Taliban insurgents raided a compound in Baton area of Andar district and during the small arm fire with the local residents five locals and a Taliban insurgent were killed," a provincial government spokesman Sabbawon told Xinhua.
Taliban closed down several schools in Andar nearly a month ago, triggering an uprising during which locals kicked out Taliban from 80 villages in the restive district south of provincial capital Ghazni city 125 km south of capital Kabul.
"The personnel of Afghan National Army (ANA) have found and defused 109 roadside bombs and IEDs over the past seven days ending on Wednesday," Azimi told reporters in a weekly press briefing here.
The Taliban insurgent group, which has been waging more than a decade-long insurgency, stepped up their attacks on Afghan and some 130,000 NATO-led troops since a spring offensive was launched on May 3 this year.
"A total of 25 IED explosions have been registered by army personnel over the same period of time, leaving military and civilian casualties," Azimi added, without disclosing the number of the fatalities by the blasts.
Taliban has launched massive IED attacks against Afghan and foreign security force in recent years but the lethal weapon also inflicted casualties on civilians. Eight civilians were killed when a vehicle touched off an IED in eastern Logar province on Wednesday June 20.
"The Taliban has lost the ability to fight with security forces and in retaliation they launch IED attacks against security forces, " the spokesman said, adding that some 95 percent of army fatalities have been caused by roadside bombs and IEDs in recent months.
Earlier in the day seven policemen were killed and three others wounded in three separate IED attacks in northern Kunduz and southern Helmand province.
He made the comments when the Afghan forces and NATO troops have completed transition in the first two of five tranches of provinces and districts across the country where about half of the Afghan population now lives.
Afghanistan is due to take over the leadership of its own security duties from U.S. and NATO forces by the end of 2014.
Under the U.S. President Barack Obama's withdrawal plan, 10,000 U.S. troops already pulled out from Afghanistan last year and another 23,000 will return home by September this year.
In another development, five local residents and a Taliban fighter were killed following a clash in Andar district in the eastern province of Ghazni earlier Wednesday.
"A group of Taliban insurgents raided a compound in Baton area of Andar district and during the small arm fire with the local residents five locals and a Taliban insurgent were killed," a provincial government spokesman Sabbawon told Xinhua.
Taliban closed down several schools in Andar nearly a month ago, triggering an uprising during which locals kicked out Taliban from 80 villages in the restive district south of provincial capital Ghazni city 125 km south of capital Kabul.
Source : Afghan Voice Agency (AVA), International Service
