Five Afghan army soldiers have been killed throughout Afghanistan within the last 24 hours, the country's Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

"Five personnel of Afghan National Army (ANA) martyred during military operations against the enemies of Afghanistan and as a result of separate incidents over the past 24 hours," the ministry said in a statement.

The Afghan security forces' casualties have risen recently as they struggle against a surge in attacks by Taliban militant group and other anti-government fighters.

The statement also said that scores of insurgents, including 20 fighters of Islamic State (IS) militant group, were killed and 47 others were injured as the Afghan security forces waged offensives across the country over the same period.

The joint Afghan security forces also found and seized weapons and defused several roadside bombs and landmines during the security operations, the statement noted.

Source : XINHUA