Afghan police and army, backed by the NATO-led coalition forces, have killed 37 Taliban militants in six cleanup operations within the past 24 hours, the Afghan Interior Ministry said Saturday morning.

"Another four armed Taliban insurgents were wounded and 31 others were arrested by the joint forces during the raids launched in Kabul, Faryab, Kandahar, Zabul, Wardak and Helmand provinces," the ministry said in a statement presenting morning operational updates to the media.

They also found and seized weapons, the statement said, without saying if there were any casualties on the side of security forces.

Separately, a total of five militants were killed in an airstrike carried out by the coalition forces in Kandahar province, some 450 km south of Kabul overnight, a spokesman for provincial government told Xinhua on Saturday.

"Five militants were placing Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) along main roads to target security forces in Sara Qala and Azim Qala areas in southern outskirts of provincial capital Kandahar city, but their positions were pounded by the coalition airstrikes killing all on the spot," spokesman Jawid Faisal told Xinhua, adding several IEDs and weapons were found in the area after the attack.

The Taliban insurgent group, which announced the launching of an annual spring offensive from May 3 against Afghan and NATO forces, has not yet make comments.