The government forces in crackdown on militants have killed five Taliban fighters and reopened the highway linking Takhar to the neighboring Kunduz province in Afghanistan, Takhar's provincial government spokesman Mohammad Jawad Hajari said Tuesday.
Taliban militants following heavy fighting captured parts of the highway and closed it down for traffic on Sunday and Monday and also dynamited some bridges along the road, the official asserted.
To evict the militants, the security forces launched cleanup operations late Monday night and reopened the essential highway that linked Takhar to Kunduz province, Hajari said.
Five insurgents have been killed and three more arrested, the official said, adding the cleanup operation would last until the area is cleared of the militants.
Taliban militants who are active in parts of Takhar and the neighboring Kunduz province have not commented.
xinhua
