GHAZNI (Xinhua) — At least 21 militants have been killed and 21 villages have been recaptured over the past 24 hours as security forces operations against Taliban fighters are going on in parts of Afghanistan’s Ghazni province, provincial government spokesman Aref Nuri said Wednesday.

Nine militants including their commander Qazi Hasan have been killed in Hasan Abad village in the outskirt of provincial capital Ghazni city and law and order were returned to the area, the official said.

More than a dozen militants have been killed in Gilan, Qarabagh and Khawja Omari districts and 20 more villages have been cleansed of the Taliban fighters in Khawja Omari district over the past 24 hours, the official said.

Over a dozen insurgents have been injured, the official added.

However, the official didn’t make assessment on the possible casualties of security personnel.

The Taliban militant group has not made a comment on the report yet.