PUL-E-KHUMRI, Afghanistan, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- As many as 11 militants and an Afghan senior army officer have been killed and 15 more insurgents wounded over the last 48 hours of clashes in the northern province of Baghlan, an official said Wednesday.
"Fighting erupted few days ago, between the Afghan forces and militants loyal to the Taliban group in Surkh Kotal area, some kilometers outside provincial capital Pul-e-Khumri, leaving 11 insurgents dead and 15 others wounded," said Gen. Ekramuddin Sari, the provincial police chief on Wednesday.
Sari also confirmed the death of an army officer of the 209 Shaheen Corps based in the northern region.
Fighting has escalated in Afghanistan as the Taliban insurgency spreads from its traditional strongholds in the south and east to the once peaceful region in the north, where the militants have been recruiting fighters from among the jobless youth.
