KABUL - Meanwhile, an official from the ministry of interior told MPs that 28,500 militants have been killed in battles so far this year.
The Minister of Defense Abdullah Habibi said Monday that his ministry (MoD), as part of its counter-terrorism strategy, has defined a new plan to target insurgents on the battle fields. 
Habibi made the remarks in the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) where he briefed lawmakers about the overall security climate of the country. He said Afghan forces conducted their missions successfully this year and inflicted a devastating casualty toll on the militants.
Meanwhile, an official from the ministry of interior told MPs that 28,500 militants have been killed in battles so far this year.
On Monday, parliament summoned the ministers of defense, rural rehabilitation, refugees and repatriations and tribal affairs and borders to report back on their performances over the past year.
“We have prioritized five key elements for our war season, our first priority is to carry out winter operations during these four months,” said Habibi.
According to Habibi, so far this year the Afghan forces have carried out more than 1,807 operations against militants on multiple fronts across the country and 37,890 new recruits joined the Afghan National Army this year.
“Whenever complaints are raised about the incomplete equipment and weaponries of the security forces, actually this problem exists with the donors or sponsors,” said Mohammad Hamid Tahmasi, deputy minister of interior for maintenance.
Meanwhile, the minister of interior said that during the current year, the Afghan National Police (ANP) conducted more than 3,813 counter-terrorism operations in the country in which more than 850 insurgents were eliminated and 380 others wounded.
In addition, minister of refugees and repatriation Sayed Hussain Alimi Balkhi said that more than 1.5 million Afghan refugees returned from Pakistan and other countries to Afghanistan while another 550,000 people were displaced internally due to certain issues, including war.
“The ministry of refugees and repatriation has a responsibility to persuade migrants and refugees to voluntary return,” said Balkhi.
“We have completed the profiles of 46 border districts alongside the Durand Line including the completion of a map of 16 districts for the TAPI project,” said Ghafoor Laiwal, deputy minister of tribal affairs and borders.
The security leadership’s outline of a new plan comes at a time that a number of districts in the country are overrun by the Taliban.
Insurgents have also maintained their presence in suburbs of some strategic locations in Afghanistan such as Lashkargah, the provincial capital of Helmand, Trinkot in Uruzgan, Kunduz, Farah and Baghlan provinces. (Tolonews)