KABUL, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Afghan security personnel have discovered a large cache of weapons and ammunition in the eastern regions, the Ministry of National Defense announced in a statement late Monday.

The contraband, which included 60 pieces of heavy and light arms, such as PK machine guns, M16 rifles, Kalashnikovs, assault rifles and pistols, was discovered during a series of coordinated search operations launched in the eastern regions, said the statement.

Additionally, a substantial amount of ammunition and military equipment, including 250 kg of gunpowder, communication devices, rocket launchers, hand grenades, explosives, and a large quantity of cartridges and bullets, have been seized during the operations, it added.

The Afghan interim government has rounded up thousands of arms and a huge quantity of ammunition as part of efforts to stabilize the security situation across the war-ravaged country over the past three and a half years. Enditem