Units of Afghan national police backed by the army and the NATO-led troops have killed 18 Taliban militants and captured over a dozen others over the past 24 hours, the Afghan Interior Ministry said in a statement on Monday. \"The national police backed by the national army and the NATO- led Coalition forces launched four joint cleanup operations in Kabul, Ghazni, Paktiya and Helmand provinces over the past 24 hours during which 18 armed Taliban have been killed, two wounded and 14 others arrested by Police,\" the statement said. However, it did not say if there were any casualties on the security forces. Taliban militants fighting the government have yet to comment.