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Kabul, March 13: Afghan border forces have confiscated 30 Beretta pistols during a targeted intelligence-led operation in southern Kandahar province, a local security official said on Friday.
The operation was conducted by security personnel in the Tor Kach area of Maruf district, where the firearms were intercepted while being smuggled into Afghanistan from a neighbouring country, according to Nazir Ahmad Shakeeb, spokesman for the 205 Al-Badr Army Corps, Xinhua News Agency reported.
Shakeeb confirmed that Afghan security forces are actively working to curb arms trafficking across the porous border regions.
The seizure is part of broader efforts by the Afghan government to collect arms and ammunition from individuals outside official security forces and to prevent weapons smuggling in border areas through the deployment of additional security personnel.
In December last year, the counter-terrorism police have discovered and confiscated a cache of armaments and ammunition in eastern Afghanistan's Khost province, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said in a statement.
The seizure, including two rocket launchers, 15 hand grenades, 1,100 rounds of PK machine-gun, two boxes of assorted ammunition, 24 rocket rounds, and 24 rocket propellant charges, occurred during a series of counter-terrorism operations in the province's Zazi Maidan district, the statement said.
Three suspects were arrested in connection with the confiscation and will be referred to judicial authorities following preliminary investigations.
In a separate operation, police uncovered additional arms and ammunition in neighboring Paktika province as part of ongoing efforts to curb unauthorized weapons.
Over the past four years, Afghan authorities have seized thousands of weapons and large quantities of ammunition in a nationwide drive to enhance security and stability in the war-ravaged country.
On November 30, 2025, local authorities said a significant weapons cache was uncovered in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province, with three individuals arrested in connection to the discovery.
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.
--IANS