The Afghan forces and the NATO-led coalition troops have eliminated six insurgents and captured 18 others in restive eastern Afghan provinces within a 24-hour period, the coalition forces confirmed in a press release issued from Bagram, the main US base in the country, on Friday.

"Afghan and coalition forces killed six insurgents, detained 18 and cleared an improvised explosive device (IED) during operations in eastern Afghanistan throughout the past 24 hours," the release said.

The joint forces killed six insurgents during engagements in Nerkh district and Sayyidabad district, Wardak province, 35 km west of Afghan capital Kabul, it said.

Afghan National Security Forces and coalition forces detained 18 insurgents during two engagements in Khowst District of Khost province, some 185 km southeast of Kabul. The detained suspects were transferred to a base for questioning.

The IED was found by the joint forces in Gelan district, Ghazni province, 100 km south of Kabul, according to the release. Afghan Taliban has launched massive IED attacks against coalition and Afghan national security force in recent years. Up to six Afghan policemen were killed Wednesday when an IED they were defusing went off in Helmand province, 555 km south of Kabul.

Operations in RC-East are still ongoing, the release added. A total of 50 countries are contributing 100,000-strong forces in Afghanistan with over 68,000 of them American mainly stationed in the east and south, followed by 9,500 from UK mainly based in southern Afghanistan.

The Taliban insurgents, who have been waging an insurgency of more than one decade, have yet to make comments.