At least 50 Taliban rebels have been killed in two days of operations by Afghan and US-led troops across insurgency-hit southern Afghanistan.
In a single operation in the southern province of Kandahar, more than 40 rebels were killed.
The casualties occurred in Sha Wali Kot, an area of the province badly hit by Taliban unrest in the recent weeks.
Dozens more were killed in similar sweeps elsewhere in Kandahar and the neighbouring Helmand province, according to a defence ministry statement.
The rebels were killed in a two-day long sweep in the region, it added.
Meanwhile, Afghan security forces backed by international troops launched a new offensive on Thursday in Zabul province, next to Kandahar.
Kandahar, the former stronghold and birthplace of the Taliban, has suffered heavy clashes in recent weeks with around 400 rebels killed in clashes since mid-August, according to official figures.
