11 tons of explosives seized and 5 militants arrested in Afghanistan: officials

Afghan security forces intercepted 11 tons of explosives being moved from Pakistan to Afghanistan for a believed attack in Kabul, officials said today, adding that five militants had been arrested, reported The Associated Press.

Afghan officials said Saturday they had foiled two plots, including another in which group of militants were planning to kill Karim Khalili, the country’s second vice president.

The New York Times reported that the announcement by officials of the foiled plots with aimed at softening criticism of Afghan security officials, which came under fire after attacks last week in the capital.

The announcement comes a week after a bold attack shook the capital city and other Afghan towns in an assault claimed by the Taliban. 

Afghanistan's National Director for Security spokesman, Shafiqullah Tahiry, told reporters today that the foiled plot included an assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai, said AP, adding that three of the detained militants were tied to Pakistan's Haqqani network while the other two were Afghan Taliban.

More from GlobalPost: Afghanistan: Kabul rocked by blasts in Taliban's 'spring offensive'

Tahiry did not reveal when the men were arrested but claimed they had confessed they "had planned to carry out a terrorist attack in a key point in Kabul city," according to CBS News. 

A photo was released of the men who were charged with the plot.

“All the detained individuals confessed their involvement during the preliminary investigations and admitted that they had been dispatched to military, terrorist and suicide training camps in Miran Shah, Pakistan,” he said.

"Imagine if 10,000 kilograms of explosives, which was already inside Kabul" had been detonated Tahriry said, "what a disaster could have happened," said AP. 

The official said the materials were found hidden in 400 bags tucked under a truckload of potatoes, said CBS News.