Officials said the Afghan police seized four tons of sodium nitrate, which was used to make car bombs and improvised explosive devices, which was one of the largest such seizures in the country’s 19-year rebellion.
The chemical was seized on a truck in Kabul on Sunday. Interior Ministry spokesperson Tariq Arian (Tariq Arian) said the driver has been arrested and investigations are ongoing.
The government did not disclose which militant group was responsible. Sodium nitrate is also used in fertilizers and preservatives, but it has been banned in Afghanistan for many years.
The Taliban, ISIS and other militant groups are active in Afghanistan and have carried out major attacks in and around the capital.
The National Security Service (NDS) said on Sunday that it had detained seven members of the Islamic State in the eastern city of Jalalabad, including a man believed to be responsible for planning the urban bombing.
A statement from the NDS stated that the organization plans to gather Afghan security forces or tribal elders in the eastern province of Nangarhar, where the Islamic State of the country carried out multiple attacks this year.
Suicide vests, weapons and explosives were also seized.
Since September 12, negotiators from Afghanistan and the Taliban have been meeting in Doha, hoping to reach an agreement on a ceasefire and power-sharing agreement. But even before discussing the agenda, they were confused about the procedure.
Despite the talks, violence continued to increase, and the Taliban rejected calls for a ceasefire.
Since the outbreak of the 19-year war, Taliban fighters launched an attack on the central province of Bamyan in the bloodiest conflict in the region on Saturday, which is considered one of the safest conflicts in the country.
Latif Azimi, spokesman for the governor of Bamyan Province, said that the conflict lasted for two days, nine policemen were killed and the Taliban suffered heavy losses. The Taliban’s statement stated that their fighters clashed with a security force convoy and 30 Afghan commandos were killed.
