KABUL, July 30 (Xinhua) -- More than 600 Taliban-linked militants have been killed and 300 others made captive since a huge anti-Taliban operation was launched in post-Taliban Afghanistan 50 days ago, the Defense Ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi said Sunday.

    "It has a merit to mention that 613 enemies of Afghans have been killed, 87 others injured and 300 more arrested since the launching of Operation Mountain Thrust 50 days ago," Azimi told a press conference here.

    Involving some 11,000 Afghan and the U.S-led coalition forces and covering the volatile southern provinces, the operation will be eventually closed down with the change of command from the U.S. military to NATO on July 31.

    The British commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) David Richard will formally assume the command of the fighting forces in south Afghanistan on Monday to continue hunting down insurgents, the spokesman said.

    But he declined to disclose the casualties of Afghan and the coalition forces during the course.

    Azimi also added that mounting pressure on the anti-government rebels would continue till their elimination.

    More than 1,100 people, mostly militants and some 60 foreign soldiers with half of them Americans, have been killed in Taliban-linked insurgency since beginning 2006 in the country. Enditem