KABUL, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- A total of 26 militants were killed and eight others injured after Afghan army, police and intelligence agency personnel launched wide-scale operations within the past 24 hours, said the Afghan Defense Ministry on Wednesday.
"During the past 24 hours, Afghan National Defense and Security Forces conducted joint operations against the insurgents in different parts of the country. As a result, 26 insurgents were killed and eight others wounded," the ministry said in a statement.
Among the killed were 22 militants of Islamic State (IS) militant group, the statement said, adding that the joint forces also discovered and confiscated rounds of light and heavy ammunition during the raids launched in 11 of the country's 34 provinces.
The joint forces also detained nine persons during the above raids.
The Afghan security forces had beefed up security operations recently as militants were attempting to take territory and consolidate their positions during the winter in the mountainous country.
