KABUL - Thirty-eight Taliban militants have been killed in cleanup operations since early Friday, authorities said on Saturday morning.

"Afghan National Police (ANP) conducted several clean up operations with the cooperation of Army, National Directorate for Security and Coalition Forces in Kandahar, Uruzgan, Ghazni and Helmand provinces over the past 24 hours, killing 38 armed Taliban insurgents, wounding 15 and capturing 13 others," the Afghan Interior Ministry said in a statement providing daily operational updates.

The ANP also found and defused 10 bombs in Laghman, Kunduz, Kandahar and Herat provinces over the last 24 hours, the statement added.

In addition, five Taliban were killed and two militants were arrested following an overnight clash in surrounding areas of Sari Pul city, the provincial capital of northern Sari Pul province, a provincial police source told Xinhua, adding one army soldier was also wounded in the engagement between security forces and Taliban there.

The Taliban insurgent group has not made comments so far.