Badakshan security officials on Friday said that 57 insurgents were killed and 46 injured during a military operation carried out by the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) in the Wardoj district of the province.

The officials said that the operation was launched to clear the area of insurgents, and was executed with such effectiveness that 24 insurgents were killed within the first 24 hours.

The Afghan security forces have ramped up operations across the country to clear vulnerable areas of insurgents in preparation for the upcoming 2014 elections.

On Wednesday, the Afghan National Army (ANA), Afghan National Police (ANP), and National Directorate of Security (NDS), began a joint clearing operation codenamed "Toffan Dara" (Storm Valley) in the Chapa Dara district of eastern Kunar province.

There are over 350,000 Afghan soldiers fighting insurgents across Afghanistan. Foreign troops are due to leave by the end of 2014, after handing over full security responsibility to the Afghan forces.
Nevertheless, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) officials indicate that the vast majority of operational leadership and execution is already in Afghan hands.