Saturday, April 12, 2014
Kabul (BNA) The National Directorate of Security (NDS) said that over 65 suicide attacks were foiled and 262 militants, mostly Afghan Taliban, were arrested during last 40 days.
Spokesman of the NDS, Lutfullah Mashal, in a press conference on Thursday said that the arrested Taliban who are mostly Afghan suicide attackers were armed with suicide vests and wanted to sabotage the elections process across the country. He said the would-be suicide bombers planned large-scale attacks.
They wanted to use explosive laden cars, motorcycles and other type of vehicles. The would-be bombers wanted to target public places and official buildings in Herat, Khost, Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, Baghlan, Takhar, Kundoz, and Logar provinces, the spokesman told newsmen.
Mashal further said that militants who were practically involved in insurgency were arrested from 23 provinces.
He said the success came as a result of better coordination among the security forces and with support of the citizens.
Pakistani Taliban who closed their religious schools is among the arrested suspects, he said, adding that huge cache of weapons and explosives have been seized.
Providing details about the seized weapons, spokesman of the NDS said that eight pistols, 194 AK-47s, 14 PK machine guns, 95 rockets, 93 mortars of 82mm, 18 different kinds of wireless sets, eight RPG-7 rocket launchers along with 76 rockets, 3,191 anti-personal and anti-tank mines, 85 barrels of explosives, 17 motorbikes planned to be used in suicide attacks, seven rickshaws, 19 suicide jackets, 8,200 kg explosives, used in landmine producing, were seized.
Regarding a clash between Pakistani and Afghan Taliban, the spokesman said that due to internal rifts between the two groups 20 Taliban including 16 Punjabi Taliban was killed recently in Paktika province.
