Afghan forces launched an operation on Taliban strongholds on Tuesday, killing 85 gunmen including key commander Mawalwi Rahmatullah, in Chardara district of Kunduz province.

Afghan forces launched an operation on Taliban strongholds on Tuesday, killing 85 gunmen including key commander Mawalwi Rahmatullah, in Chardara district of Kunduz province, Xinhua news agency reported.

"In the wake of launching a surprise counter-offensive and taking back Chardara district early today, the security forces begun chasing Taliban insurgents and so far 85 armed insurgents including a key commander Mawlawi Rahmatullah nicknamed Mawlawi Mohammad have been killed," provincial governor Mohammad Omar Safi told reporters in a press conference.

More than a dozen insurgents have been injured, said the governor, adding cleanup operation is going on.

The governor also confirmed that six security personnel and a civilian have been killed and 10 more civilians sustained injuries during the ongoing operations.

The security forces retook back the control over Chardara district early Tuesday morning and operations for retaking the Dasht-e-Archi district is going on, the governor asserted.

Taliban terrorists captured Chardara and Dasht-e-Archi districts on Saturday and Monday respectively after heavy fighting.

On Monday morning, a Taliban group attacked the Afghan parliament in Kabul, detonating a huge car bomb outside the gates, stormed the compound, then entered a building next to the chamber.

The attack ended with 40 people injured and 8 other killed, including 6 Taliban gunmen.