Afghan military uniforms confiscated

KABUL, Afghanistan, April 25 (UPI) -- The Afghan military has confiscated more than 10,000 Afghan uniforms and pieces of equipment to prevent them from being used by insurgents, officials said.

The articles were taken from shop owners as a result of an attack on the Afghan Ministry of Defense by an insurgent dressed in a military uniform, the International Security Assistance Force said Monday.

Three people died in that attack in which the insurgent was killed before he could detonate a suicide vest he was wearing, the report said.

"During this operation, more than 10,000 uniforms and equipment were seized. ISAF supports these efforts," said German Army Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, a spokesman for the ISAF.

The number of suicide attacks has fallen since 2008 but insurgents have increased attacks on soft and high-profile targets, Blotz said. Soft targets are people who have little or no training, equipment or "situational awareness."

"More than 30 suicide attacks have been directed at soft targets since the beginning of the year," Blotz said. "These attacks are aimed at instilling fear among innocent Afghans."

Blotz said 453 insurgent leaders were captured or killed between Jan. 13 and April 15. He said more than 2,000 mid- or low-level insurgents have been captured and another 500 have been killed.

Blotz also noted a milestone for the Afghan police.

"The Ministry of Interior's legitimate protectors of the local populace -- the Afghan Local Police -- celebrated another milestone yesterday as the first district to receive their official uniforms," Blotz said.