Kabul, Dec 5: Afghan counter-narcotic and provincial police units have uncovered several significant caches of illegal weapons and ammunition in recent operations across the country, highlighting intensified efforts to curb the circulation of illicit arms.
In the latest incident, police in northern Afghanistan’s Balkh province discovered a large stockpile of weapons during an operation in a residential house in Zari district, officials said on Friday. The recovered items included four Kalashnikov rifles, four hand grenades, an air rifle, two anti-personnel grenades, a PK machine gun, a scope, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition and cartridges, according to a statement from the provincial police office. The statement did not clarify whether any suspects had been detained in connection with the discovery.
This comes amid a series of similar seizures reported in recent weeks. On November 23, authorities in Uruzgan province uncovered a substantial cache of illegal arms hidden in a residential home, leading to the arrest of three individuals. Bilal Uruzgani, spokesperson for the provincial police, said the haul included assorted ammunition, hand grenades, rocket shells, bullets, and other military-grade equipment. Investigations are underway to identify additional suspects linked to the cache.
Earlier, on November 16, police in Helmand province seized another cache of weapons and arrested one suspect during an operation in Gereshk district. Provincial police spokesperson Mullah Ezatullah Haqqani reported that officers confiscated six Kalashnikov rifles, three hand grenades, a mortar launcher, an M16 rifle, a shotgun, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, all stored illegally.
In a separate incident on November 9, police in Panjshir province detained an alleged arms smuggler and recovered three AK-47 rifles, a pistol, binoculars, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition at a checkpoint. Officials urged citizens to cooperate with authorities in identifying illegal arms and stressed that security forces will continue operations to prevent unauthorized possession and transportation of weapons across Afghanistan.
