KABUL, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Afghan forces killed 32 Taliban insurgents in the southern Kandahar province in an operation from Monday to Tuesday, provincial governor Asadullah Khalid said Tuesday.

    Afghan troops launched a clean-up operation in Jalai district on Monday afternoon after a roadside bombing killed seven policemen in the district, Khalid told a press conference.

    The troops killed 32 militants, injured three others and captured one in the operation, which lasted until early Tuesday, he added.

    Kandahar province has been a hotbed of Taliban rebels, who often clash with government and foreign forces.

    Due to rising Taliban insurgency, over 2,600 persons, most of whom Taliban militants, have been killed in Afghanistan this year.