KABUL, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- Afghan army personnel recovered and defused one dozen Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and landmines in two eastern provinces, the Defense Ministry said on Sunday.
"The engineering teams of Afghan National Army discovered and defused 12 IEDs and landmines in Kunar and Parwan provinces over the last 24 hours," it said in a statement.
The Taliban militants and other insurgent groups have been using IEDs to target security forces but the lethal weapons also inflict casualties on civilians, according to military officials.
On Saturday, Afghan police seized over 9,000 kg of a banned chemical in eastern Nangarhar province, bordering Pakistan.
"Afghan National Border Police (ANBP) confiscated 9,310 kg of Ammonium Nitrate, a key component used to make Improvised Explosive Devices. The ANBP searched a truck and found the Ammonium Nitrate besides arresting one suspect in Torkham port, Nangarhar province," Afghan Interior Ministry said earlier Sunday.
The seizure of such a large volume of the banned material will significantly degrade insurgents' capability to build IEDs, the statement noted.
The Afghan government has banned use, product, storage and sale of fertilizer Ammonium Nitrate since 2010.
