Kabul, Jul 18 (IANS): At least 53 Taliban militants were killed and 38 others injured in multiple airstrikes and fierce battles in Afghanistan in the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Defence said on Sunday.

In Kapisa province, 18 militants were killed and 24 wounded after Afghan Air Force (AAF) conducted airstrikes in support of Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in the Tagab and Nijrab districts, Xinhua news agency reported citing a Ministry statement as saying.

Among the killed militants were three Taliban's divisional commanders, said the statement.

Meanwhile, 20 Taliban militants were killed and eight others wounded during a cleanup operation conducted by ANDSF on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, the capital city of Helmand province, according to the statement.

In Balkh province, 15 Taliban militants were killed and six others wounded following an airstrike conducted by the AAF in Kaldar district.

One vehicle belonging to the militants and a large number of weapons and ammunition were destroyed during the latest offensives, the statement said.

The Afghan security forces have recently beefed up security operations against the Taliban militants.