Afghan forces seize large amount of weapons, war equipment

Lashkargah, Sep 18 (IANS) The Afghan security forces have seized a large amount of weapons and military equipment during a series of operations in the past three months in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province, the provincial police office said in a statement.

The contraband, which included nine Kalashnikovs, 41 pistols, two AK-47 rifles, six US-made M16 machine guns, five grenades, 15 various types of mines, and a quantity of war equipment, such as cartridges and bullets, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting the statement.

Fifteen people were arrested in connection with the case and their dossiers were referred to the judiciary for further investigation, it said.

The Afghan caretaker government, which vowed to collect arms and ammunition from anyone outside the security forces, has discovered and seized thousands of light and heavy weapons including tanks since it took over power in Afghanistan in August 2021.