5 militants killed in Afghan army operation in Kandahar: gov’t

KABUL, Feb. 16  -- Five Taliban militants were killed and 25 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were neutralized during an Afghan army operation in southern Kandahar province, the Afghan Defense Ministry said Sunday.
   "The raid, that was part of preventive measures being adopted to ensure a high level of security and safety in Kandahar, was conducted in Khakrez district on Saturday," the ministry said in a statement.
   The engineering teams of national army found and defused 25 rounds of IEDs across the district, in the northern part of Kandahar, according to the statement.
   Taliban militants have been using home-made IEDs to make roadside bombs, landmines and suicide attack vest for targeting security forces, but the lethal weapons also inflicted casualties on civilians.
   Security situation has been improving in Kandahar, the former stronghold of Taliban, over the past months, as security forces have conducted search and cordon operations across the province.
   The Taliban insurgent group has been waging an insurgency of more than 18 years