'Bird bomb' explodes when it's shot by Afghanistan police

KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Why did the brown and white bird walk down the road? Apparently to blow somebody up. That's what Afghanistan police surmised when they spotted the large, non-native bird walking along a highway with an antenna, explosives and an electronic device strapped to its body.

When police shot the bird, it exploded, scattering "suspicious metal stuff," provincial police chief Maj. Gen. Abdul Nabi Ilham told NBC News.

Police are still examining the various remains, but have identified what appears to be a GPS device and a small camera. The bird was first spotted close to a police checkpoint in Faryab province in the north where the Taliban are active.

Investigators speculated that the bird may have been "deployed" on a surveillance mission.

It's the first time ever security forces have encountered such a "bird bomb," though Hamas militants rigged a donkey with explosives and set it on a path heading toward Israeli soldiers during fighting in Gaza last summer. No humans were injured, but the donkey exploded.