TALUQAN, Afghanistan, April 24 (Xinhua) -- A total of 17 militants including a key Taliban commander and shadow district chief Mawlawi Abdul Razaq have been killed and 13 others injured in Dasht-e-Qala district of Afghanistan's northern Takhar province, said an army statement released here Wednesday.

The government forces, according to the statement, launched "massive offensive against Taliban insurgents in Dasht-e-Qala district early Wednesday morning" and so far 17 armed militants including eminent commander Mawlawi Abdul Razaq, a shadow district governor for the neighboring Baharak district, have been killed and three others wounded.

Several villages have also been recaptured, the statement said, adding the operations backed by fighting aircraft would continue until the law and order return there.

Taliban militants who overrun a security base in Dasht-e-Qala district last week and expanded their grip there have not commented. Enditem

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