‘Pen guns’ the latest threat in Kabul

KABUL: Police in Kabul have seized a stash of "pen guns" they say criminals and insurgents are using in a wave of targeted assassinations that has gripped the Afghan capital in recent months.

The cylindrical, single-bullet firearms look much like regular ink pens and are easy to carry undetected. "It is like a click pen, the shooter puts the bullet in the cartridge, aims and clicks the thrust button to fire the bullet," an official at Kabul´s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) said on condition of anonymity.

Police last weekend unveiled a cache of 48 pen guns discovered in a larger haul of weapons including "sticky bombs" that can be slapped under vehicles and detonated remotely or on a timer. "The terrorists wanted to use these weapons in complex-target killings in the capital," interior ministry spokesman Tariq Arian interior ministry spokesman said. Rising unemployment and poverty have worsened Kabul´s already abysmal security situation, with kidnappings, robberies and drive-by shootings commonplace.