66 Afghan Taliban killed in raids

KABUL, Afghanistan, April 11 (UPI) -- Some 66 Taliban members were killed and 15 others were injured in a pair of joint operations in Afghanistan, military officials said Saturday.

The raids, carried out by coalition and Afghan security forces, happened Friday in the Nawa and Nad Ali districts of the volatile southern province of Helmand, CNN reported.

The U.S. broadcaster said poppy cultivation in southern Afghanistan, while still providing two-thirds of the world's supply of opium, has dropped by 20 percent to the lowest level since 2006.