Six soldiers, 8 militants die in Afghan clashes

KUNDUZ, Oct 20 (Xinhua): Six Afghan army soldiers and eight Taliban militants were killed and four soldiers wounded in fresh clashes in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province on Monday night, a district chief said Tuesday.

"Militants armed with guns and rocket propelled grenades attacked a security checkpoint in Ismahil Qeshlaq locality of Imam Sahib district. The militants also ambushed an army patrol in the same locality at mid-night Monday. The clashes resulted in the mentioned casualties to both sides," Mahbubullah Sayyedi told Xinhua.

The army's reinforcement arrived in the area early Tuesday and the wounded were transferred to an army camp in the district, the district chief said.

The district near the border with Tajikistan has been the scene of heavy clashes in recent months.

The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces have been engaged in cleanup operations across Afghanistan since early this year as violence and clashes remained on the daily basis in the country.