Kabul, Feb 2 Police have recovered arms and ammunition from a car and taken two suspected smugglers into custody in eastern Paktia province, a statement from the provincial police office said Monday.
The weapons, which included a Kalashnikov assault rifle, two hand grenades and a quantity of ammunition, were found in the car at a checkpoint on a road on Sunday afternoon, the statement said.
Police also detained two individuals for allegedly attempting to smuggle the weapons and referred them to the judiciary for further investigation, Xinhua News Agency reported.
No unauthorised individual has the right to keep or carry arms illegally, the statement said, noting police would spare no effort to ensure law and order in the province.
On January 29, a local police official said Afghan security forces have seized and confiscated dozens of firearms and a large quantity of ammunition in southern Helmand province during a three-month counter-terrorism operation.
Mawlawi Sayed Wali Saeed, the provincial counter-terrorism manager, said 26 individuals were arrested in connection with the weapons haul.
On January 9, provincial police chief Mawlawi Abdul Haq Haqqani said police have discovered a weapon cache containing a variety of arms and ammunition in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan.
The weaponry was recovered from Deh Salah district on January 8, the official added.
Without providing further details, the official stressed that no one has the right to keep or carry arms illegally, and police would spare no effort to collect weaponry from unauthorized persons to ensure law and order in the province.
Previously, police reported the collection of 21 firearms and the arrest of 18 individuals in eastern Parwan province on January 7.
As part of efforts to ensure law and order in post-war Afghanistan, the Afghan government has vowed to collect arms and ammunition from anyone living outside the security organs of the administration.
In November last year, a significant weapons cache was uncovered in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province, with three individuals arrested in connection to the discovery, local authorities confirmed.
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.
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