Kabul, Jun 27 (IANS): At least 46 Taliban militants were killed and 25 others injured in fierce clasheswith security forces in Afghanistan's Takhar province, the Ministry of Defence said.

The clashes occurred on Saturday when the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) backed by local Public Uprising Forces and supported by the Air Force targeted a Taliban convoy and militants' aggregations in the suburban districts of Dasht-e-Qala and Rustaq, the Ministry said in a statement.

Among the victims were eight outstanding members of the Taliban outfit, the statement noted, without saying if there were any casualties on the side of the security forces, reports Xinhua news agency.

Two militants' vehicles and a number of their weapons and ammunition were also destroyed, according to the statement.

The northern Afghan provinces have been the scene of heavy clashes and battles in recent weeks as Taliban militants continued their battles against government forces and captured several suburban districts.