Afghanistan says its army forces have killed dozens of militants in fresh military operations across the country in the past 24 hours.

General Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, said in a statement released on Sunday morning that 45 militants were killed and 41 others wounded in separate military operations in the war-torn country.

According to the official, four Afghan soldiers also lost their lives in an explosion and exchange of fire with militants.

Security forces also discovered and defused 14 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) during the raids, the statement added.

Azimi did not reveal any details about the location of the military operations or where the IEDs were found.

Taliban have not yet made any comments on the issue.

A day earlier, the country’s Interior Ministry reported that 57 militants were killed and 35 injured during a series of operations carried out in the provinces of Badakhshan, Baghlan, Faryab, Ghazni, Helmand, Herat, Khost, Kunduz, Logar, Paktia, Sar-e Pol, Uruzgan and Zabul.

Fighting between Afghan forces and militants has intensified since the Taliban launched its annual spring offensive against Afghan forces and foreign embassies on April 24.

Afghan Interior Minister Noorul Haq Ulumi and the deputy to Defense Ministry spokesman, Brigadier General Dawlat Waziri, have dismissed the Taliban spring offensive, saying the country’s security forces are capable of foiling militant attacks.

Afghanistan faces a security challenge years after the United States and its allies invaded the country in 2001 as part of Washington’s so-called war on terror. The offensive removed Taliban from power, but many areas in the country are still witnessing violence, which threatens stability.

At least 13,500 foreign forces remain in Afghanistan despite the end of the US-led combat mission, which came on December 31, 2014. The forces, mainly from the US, are there for what Washington calls a support mission. NATO says the forces will focus mainly on counterterrorism operations and training Afghan soldiers and policemen.