The Taliban now has new suicide bombers among its ranks – birds.
The Afghan police reportedly shot a bird that was fitted with explosives and a GPS tracker in the Faryab province on Saturday.
The bird exploded when it was shot and "suspicious metal stuff" lay scattered around it, provincial police chief Major General Abdul Nabi Ilham told NBC News.
"We are gathering all the stuff, but found parts of what looks to be GPS and a small camera," Ilham said, even as police officers from Taliban-affected provinces recently said that they are starkly short of equipment to take on the militants.
The fact that the large bird was not a native of the region raised the police's suspicion, and they shot it when they noticed an antenna attached to it. The bird was also reportedly fitted with a 'suicide vest' and a mobile phone detonator.
Animals are often used by militant groups to carry explosives or surveillance equipment in conflict areas.
Hamas militants had reportedly strapped explosive on a donkey and pushed it towards Israeli troops during the conflict in July this year.
In October, Chinese police had performed cavity searches on at least 10,000 pigeons that were to be released for a national ceremony, to check for 'suspicious material'.
