Taliban using British devices to make bombs

Explosive devices made in Britain are being used by the Taliban to carry out bomb attacks on UK forces in Afghanistan, it emerged yesterday. A British explosives officer is said to have made the startling claim during a briefing to Foreign Secretary David Miliband as he was on a visit to Afghanistan this week. The officer informed the minister that British-made components had been discovered in the remnants of bombs used by the Taliban. When Mr Miliband asked how they had reached Afghanistan, he said they were sent by Taliban sympathisers in the UK or carried in by volunteers who flew to Pakistan before crossing the border. Mr Miliband was also shown several improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used in attacks on UK troops during the briefing, which was led by Brigadier Gordon Messenger, the Royal Marine commander of the British battlegroup in Helmand province. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "The insurgents have changed their tactics meaning they now use more and more improvised explosive devices than before. IEDs pose a significant threat to the safety of our forces and we are looking at ways we can improve protection."