2 tonnes of explosives recovered

Afghan authorities have seized and destroyed two tonnes of explosives in Kabul, the country’s intelligence agency said on Wednesday, thwarting dozens of potential bomb attacks after a recent spate of deadly Taliban raids.

The ammonium nitrate was stuffed in 20 bags sent by the Taliban-allied Haqqani network from neighbouring Pakistan, the National Directorate of Security (NDS) said.

The material was discovered during an official raid on a Kabul neighbourhood on Monday. “This amount of explosive material is enough for four or five powerful car bombs or hundreds of smaller bombs,” an Afghan official said.