KABUL, August 27 (RIA Novosti) - At least 58 Taliban insurgents have been killed in two provinces in northern Afghanistan since the August 20 elections, an Afghani general said on Thursday.
According to Salam Watandar radio, Maj. Gen. Murad Ali told a news conference in the Balkh province that "at least 58 Taliban militants were killed in a week after elections in the Baghlan and the Kunduz provinces."
The general said government forces had lost eight service and six police personnel, 12 soldiers were also wounded.
According to the general, militants have struck repeatedly in recent weeks in a bloody countdown to nationwide presidential and local elections, although government forces have maintained control of the situation in the north of the country.
The 209th Corps is headquartered in Mazari Sharif, the administrative center of the Balkh province, and works closely with the German-led Regional Command North.
Afghan election officials said on Wednesday that Afghanistan's incumbent president, Hamid Karzai, had a 10-point lead over closest rival Abdullah Abdullah with 17.2% of the vote counted after last week's presidential polls.
