KABUL, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Anti-government militants have stepped up attacks in Afghanistan and 48 fighters have been killed since Friday, officials said Saturday.

Taliban militants, in a bloody offensive on government interests, targeted the base of pro-government militias in Nahrin district of the northern Baghlan province early Saturday, killing 24 people and injuring nine others, district governor Fazludin Muradi confirmed.

Similarly, the Taliban insurgents attacked pro-government militias in Ziarat area of Spin Boldak district, southern Kandahar province Friday night, killing 10 security personnel and injuring 28 others, a local official said on the condition of anonymity.

Government forces, according to local officials, have also killed 14 militants elsewhere in the southern region since Friday.

An Afghan observer, Khan Mohammad Daneshjo, believes that the Taliban outfit has increased offensives to gain more ground and talk from a strong position in any possible dialogue with the government.