KABUL, July 31: Afghan security forces have seized thousands of missiles, mortar rounds and artillery shells in their biggest weapons haul in months, the defence ministry said on Sunday.

The suspected Taliban ammunition cache was found on Saturday in the Khogyani district of central Ghazni province, said defence ministry spokesman General Mohammad Zahir Azimi.

The weapons dump included 2,000 surface-to-surface missiles, 3,000 mortar rounds, 500 artillery shells and 150 boxes of anti-aircraft ammunition, he said.

“We suspect that the weapons were stored to be used during the elections,” he said.

On September 18 voters are set to elect a national parliament and provincial councils.

The Taliban, who were ousted in a US-led invasion in late 2001, continue to stage frequent attacks on officials and on the 19,000-strong coalition force, mostly in the south and east of Afghanistan.—AFP