KABUL, May 12  -- Afghan security forces launched a major offensive on Tuesday and retook the control of a remote western district from Taliban militants, said the Interior Ministry.

"Afghan security forces launched an operation on Tuesday morning and cleared the Jawand district of western Badghis province from enemies of peace and stability of Afghanistan,"the ministry said in a statement.

On Sunday morning, the Taliban militants captured Jawand district in the province with Qala-e-Naw as its capital 555 km northwest of Afghan capital of Kabul after heavy clashes with security forces.

Cleanup operation was underway in surrounding areas of the most populated district, the statement said, without elaborating the casualties of the security forces and the militants.

Taliban militants fighting the government to regain power launched their so-called annual spring offensive on April 24 and since then conducted a series of attacks against government interests in different provinces of Afghanistan which had claimed hundreds of lives including militants, security personnel and civilians.