Heart: Afghan police said on Wednesday they
had seized nearly 20 tonnes of explosives stashed in boxes
marked "food, toys and kitchenware" that were imported from
neighbouring Iran.
The discovery was made yesterday in a customs office in
the western province of Nimroz on the Iranian border, deputy
provincial police chief, Mohammad Musa Rasouli, told a news agency.
"We found these materials hidden in a 40-foot (12-metre)
shipping container that had come from Iran. The explosives
were disguised as merchandise like food, toys and
kitchenware," he added.
Bombs made from old ammunitions and explosives are the
main weapon used by the Taliban and other insurgents fighting
against the Western-backed Afghan government and Western
troops, and cause the bulk of military casualties.
Foreign military commanders and some Afghan officials
have accused Iran of providing weapons to the Taliban, the
chief group leading the insurgency since the 2001 US-led
invasion ousted its regime from power.
Tehran, a long-running US foe, denies the charges and
senior Afghan administration officials say they have no
evidence against Iran.
The United Sates and NATO have more than 150,000 troops
in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban and keep President Hamid
Karzai`s administration in power.
PTI
