DHAKA: Afghan security forces have seized more than 22 tonnes of explosives, enough to make hundreds of bombs, the interior ministry said on Tuesday, four days before a presidential election.

Taleban insurgents have declared war on the April 5 vote, calling it a Western-backed sham and threatening to disrupt it.

‘This discovery will prevent hundreds of bomb attacks and would have a significant impact on the overall security of the elections,’ Sediq Sediqqi, an interior ministry spokesman, told media, reports The Straits Times.

Authorities are keen to show they are capable of keeping the vote safe and orderly as most foreign troops prepare to leave the country by the end of the year.

BDST: 1624 HRS, APR 01, 2014