KABUL - Afghan police have eliminated two dozen Taliban militants in the operations across the country, said authorities on Wednesday.

"Over the past 24 hours, Afghan National Police (ANP) in collaboration with army and the NATO-led coalition forces conducted several cleanup operations in numerous provinces. As a result, 24 armed Taliban had been killed, nine wounded and eight other Taliban were detained," the Afghan Interior Ministry said in a press statement.

The ANP also found weapons and defused several Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), it added. ?

Afghan security forces and the NATO-led coalition troops have intensified operations against the Taliban and other militant groups recently.

In retaliation the Taliban responded by bombing and armed attacks.

On Tuesday, 22 civilians were killed and eight others wounded when a vehicle was hit by an IED in western Herat province.