DUSHANBE, October 26, 2015, Asia-Plus – Afghanistan’s TOLO News reports that Kunduz officials said on October 26 that at least 23 Taliban militants have been killed in a clearing operation in the Afghan northern Kunduz province.

In addition, 11 other insurgents have been injured.

The operation, dubbed Tofan-e-Daham (Tenth Storm), was reportedly launched in Khan Abad district of Kunduz.  Five other Taliban militants were also arrested during the operation, a spokesman for the military forces in Kunduz, Gholam Hazrat Karimi said.

“The operation still continues in Aqtash area of Khan Abad to clear all insurgents,” he told TOLO News in an interview.

"Sixteen vehicles belonging to insurgents including two police vehicles which were stolen by them were also destroyed in an air operation by military forces,"‎ said Karimi.

However, he refrained from giving details about security force casualties.

The Taliban have not yet commented on the operation, according TOLO News .

We will recall that Russia has responded to the deterioration of the situation in Afghanistan by taking a number of measures aimed at shoring up security in the region.

Thus, Russia announced that it would bolster its military base in Tajikistan with a new air group and additional Mi-24P attack and Mi-8 MTV transport helicopters.  

Besides, Russia said it was looking to sell Mi-35 attack helicopters to Afghanistan as part of ongoing security cooperation with Kabul.

Afghanistan’s First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum visited Russia in early October  seeking help from Russia.  A trip to Russia took him to Moscow and Chechnya, where he met with Ramzan Kadyrov on the Kremlin-backed regional strongman''s birthday on October 5.

Dostum, who led an ethnic Uzbek militia during the civil war of the 1990s, has held talks with top Russian security officials, pleading for heavy weapons and helicopter gunships for the 350,000-strong Afghan National Security Forces.

Radio Liberty cited Dostum''s spokesman, Sultan Faizy, as saying that “the Russian side is committed to support and help Afghanistan in terms of helping its air and military forces.”   Faizy said that Moscow had promised to evaluate the situation in Afghanistan and “see what they can help with.”

Russia has also pledged to pressure the former Soviet republics of Central Asia, three of which border Afghanistan, to boost support for the country, Faizy said.

Faizy said Russian officials told Dostum they were concerned about Islamic State (IS) militants gaining ground in Afghanistan and the Taliban''s brief capture of the northern city of Kunduz.  

Dostum has reportedly urged the Central Asian countries -- where he has visited regularly -- to provide weapons and other military support.