Freezing weather has killed over 20 Taliban militants in northern Afghanistan, Afghan military officials said on Thursday.
The militants' bodies were found in a cave in the region between the Baghlan and Kunduz provinces late on Wednesday.
The 23 fighters are believed to be members of a group headed by Mulla Naim, who also froze to death, the statement said.
The militants had long been sought by police in connection with numerous attacks on police stations in northern Afghanistan.
Violence surged in the war-ravaged Central Asian state in 2009, with the radical Islamic Taliban staging regular attacks on provincial government officials, police and civilians and planting roadside devices as part of its fight to regain control of the country. The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, before being toppled by U.S.-led forces.
In early December, U.S. President Barack Obama announced plans to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan in the first part of 2010. However, with mounting deaths among troops, the Western allies hope to start a gradual withdrawal as early as in 2011, transferring security tasks to the Afghan army and police.
KABUL, February 11 (RIA Novosti)
