KABUL, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- One hundred Taliban militants have been killed and 50 others detained since the Operation Moshtarak or Together against Taliban bastion in Marja in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province was launched 13 days ago, Defense Ministry spokesman Zahir Azimi said Thursday.
However, the goal of clearing Marja of insurgents and booby- trapped bombs has yet to be achieved as the Taliban militants put up stiff resistance and sporadic gunfire occurred around Marja town, Azimi told a joint press conference with spokesman of NATO- led ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) Eric Tremblay.
Aimed at restoring government control and commencing reconstruction process, the operation launched on Feb. 13 with the involvement of 15,000 Afghan security force and NATO-led troops including 5,000 U.S Marines.
"It was expected to take a month to eradicate militants in Marja and the adjacent Nad Ali," Azimi said.
"In the past 24 hours 19 roadside bombs had went off in Marja while 31 other Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) had been defused by the joint troops," he asserted.
Meanwhile, officials in Helmand provincial capital Lashkar Gah said that 200 policemen have been deployed in Marja to ensure law and order there and Hajji Mohammad Zahir took office as Marja district chief on Thursday.
