The substance is intended for agricultural use and widely available, but it is a key ingredient in improvised explosive devices (IEDs), the Taliban weapon of choice in the worsening insurgency. "Based on investigations by security forces, terrorists widely use the fertiliser in making explosives. To avoid such terrorist actions any use of this substance will (result in) judicial prosecution," the statement said.
The militants waging a bloody insurgency against the Afghan government and international forces use widely available materials to make deadly suicide vests, car bombs and roadside bombs. The decree said anyone in possession of the fertiliser must hand it over to branches of the Ministry of Agriculture within one month.