KABUL - The Ministry of Interior on Monday said 1,800 policemen and 4,600 insurgents had been killed over the past year.

Another 3,000 members of the force were wounded in 6,300 attacks since March 21, 2012 in different parts of the country.

Ghulam Siddique Siddiqui, spokesman for the ministry, told a press conference in Kabul 4,600 militants were killed, 980 wounded and 6,700 others, including 40 suicide bombers, detained in operations.

“Police sacrifices should be praised in the campaign against terrorism and suicide bombers brainwashed outside Afghanistan,” he said.

More than 12,000 criminal cases, including murder, robberies, kidnappings, corruption, fraud and drug trafficking, occurred in the past year.

Over 10,000 crime cases were unearthed by police and 16,200 suspects detained, he said, adding 65 tonnes of drugs and more than 48,000 litres of alcoholic beverages were seized by counternarcotics police.

Siddiqui said 96 drug-processing labs were destroyed and 2,600 traffickers detained. As many as 600 drug smugglers were convicted.

The strength of police reached 157,000 last year, he said, promising the ministry would pay greater attention to building the capacity of the force. (Pajhwok)