KABUL, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) — About 26 Taliban insurgents had been killed during cleanup operations since early Tuesday, the Afghan interior ministry said on Wednesday morning.

“In past 24 hours, Afghan National Security Forces carried out cleanup operations in Nangarhar, Laghman, Faryab, Kunduz, Uruzgan, Kandahar, Paktika and Helmand provinces. As a result 26 armed insurgents were killed, 19 wounded and four others were arrested by the ANSF,” the ministry said in a statement providing daily operational updates.

The ANSF also found and seized weapons and ammunition, the statement said, without adding if there were any casualties on the side of the security forces.

“The Ministry of Interior Affairs appreciates the Afghan National Security Forces operations to eliminate the terrorists’ sanctuaries and is a good step toward improving the security and stability,” the statement added.

The Taliban militant group, which has been waging an insurgency of more than one decade, has yet to make comments.