LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Five Taliban militants were killed and two others wounded during an ongoing military operation in Afghanistan's Helmand province on Tuesday, the military said on Wednesday.
"The Afghan National Army (ANA) conducted an operation in Marja district, Helmand province on Sunday. The operation will continue before the district is cleared of militants," the army's 215 Maiwand Corps said in a statement.
The statement said the Afghan Air Force launched airstrikes against militants' positions in separate locations in Marja, killing five militants and injuring two others.
The strikes also destroyed some amount of weapons and ammunition.
The ANA bomb disposal teams had also found and safely detonated 17 Taliban's landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Marja since Sunday, according to the statement.
"The army personnel also reconstructed 1.2 km of a road as requested by local villagers," it noted.
Helmand province, notorious for poppy growing, is a known Taliban stronghold.
The Afghan security forces have recently beefed up security operations against the Taliban militants who have been attempting to take territory and consolidate their positions in the countryside ahead of winter.
The Taliban militant group has not made a comment on the report yet.
