Ban on production of fertiliser used in IEDs

The United States on Monday raised with Pakistan the issue of the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and called upon Pakistan to impose ban on production of fertilisers being used in IEDs. The issue was discussed in a meeting held at the Interior Ministry between William Brownfield, US Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law and Federal Minister for Interior, Rehman Malik.
Matters regarding the ban on production of ammonium nitrate was raised by the US official in his meeting with Rehman Malik, however, the issue will also come under discussion during the 4th meeting of the Working Group on Counter Terrorism to be held on Tuesday, informed sources told BR.
The US Assistant Secretary of State urged Pakistan to cooperate with the US to stop the use of IEDs, saying that the two countries have to work together and devise a strategy in this regard, they said. The US delegation voiced its concern over the use of ammonium nitrate in IEDs saying that the fertiliser is being used by terrorists in Afghanistan, which killed hundreds of US and Nato troops in the war-torn country, besides killing thousands of civilians in Pakistan, they added.
Brownfield briefed the Interior Minister about the forthcoming Strategic Dialogue between Pakistan and the US on capacity building of explosive experts, said a handout of the Interior Ministry.
Brownfield is on official visit to Pakistan during which he will lead the US delegation in 4th ministerial level Strategic Dialogue between Pakistan and the US. Pakistan side will be led by Secretary Interior Khawaja Siddique. The Strategic Dialogue will be held on Tuesday (today) on Law Enforcement and Counter Terrorism, in which the two sides will discuss matters pertaining to anti-terror measures.
The last meeting of the ministerial group, which deals with strengthening Pakistan's law enforcement agencies in counter-terrorism were held in Washington in October 2010 in which the two sides had agreed to take steps to enhance co-operation. The US is providing training and capacity building assistance to police and LEAs of Pakistan to effectively deal with terrorism. However, the co-operation between the two countries was affected after the secret US operation in which they killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad on May 2, 2011.
The US Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Mark Grossman has called on Pakistan regarding the complete ban on production of ammonium nitrate, said a report published in media. The report also revealed that the US Defence Department believed that about 85 percent of the Afghan IEDs are made with ammonium nitrate brought from Pakistan. The IED is increasingly becoming the weapon of choice by terrorists.