Kabul, Dec 31 (IANS) The counter-terrorism police have discovered and confiscated a cache of armaments and ammunition in eastern Afghanistan’s Khost province, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday.
The seizure, including two rocket launchers, 15 hand grenades, 1,100 rounds of PK machine-gun, two boxes of assorted ammunition, 24 rocket rounds, and 24 rocket propellant charges, occurred during a series of counter-terrorism operations in the province’s Zazi Maidan district, the statement said, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Three suspects were arrested in connection with the confiscation and will be referred to judicial authorities following preliminary investigations.
In a separate operation on Tuesday, police uncovered additional arms and ammunition in neighboring Paktika province as part of ongoing efforts to curb unauthorized weapons.
Over the past four years, Afghan authorities have seized thousands of weapons and large quantities of ammunition in a nationwide drive to enhance security and stability in the war-ravaged country.
On November 30, local authorities said a significant weapons cache was uncovered in Afghanistan’s Uruzgan province, with three individuals arrested in connection to the discovery.
According to Bilal Uruzgani, the spokesperson for the provincial police, the weapons were found hidden in a residential house. The cache included a variety of ammunition, hand grenades, rocket shells, bullets, and other munitions.
Authorities have initiated further investigations to identify other individuals who may be connected to the illicit arms stash.
On November 16, provincial police spokesman Mullah Ezatullah Haqqani said that police in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province have seized a cache of weapons and ammunition and arrested one suspect during a recent operation, provincial police spokesman Mullah Ezatullah Haqqani said Sunday.
According to Haqqani, the confiscated items include six Kalashnikov rifles, three hand grenades, a mortar launcher, an M16 assault rifle, a shotgun, as well as hundreds of bullets, cartridges and other illegally stored military equipment.
The ammunition was discovered in Helmand’s Gereshk district, where police also apprehended an individual suspected of involvement in the case. The detainee has been transferred to custody for further investigation.
–IANS
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