'Sticky bombs' showing up in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 23 (UPI) -- Sticky bombs, magnetically adhesive improvised explosive devices that were prevalent in the war in Iraq, are showing up in Afghanistan, officials said.

Military officials said four incidents in a week's span used the hard-to-detect bombs typically placed near a vehicle's gas tank, Stars and Stripes reported.

Afghan officials said nearly two dozen NATO trucks were damaged or destroyed in one sticky bomb attack, saying Iran and Pakistan were the likely sources of the bombs -- a statement a Taliban official denied.

"All the proof and evidence is that these come from a neighboring country," said Sediq Sediqqi, spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry.

International Security Assistance Force officials said none of the trucks was contracted for NATO bases although local security officials and Taliban representatives said the vehicles were traveling to coalition facilities and the route taken is heavily traveled by NATO supply trucks, Stars and Stripes said.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousaf Ahmadi confirmed the use of sticky bombs, saying Taliban fighters started using the bombs "in the right situation and on some special occasions ... especially in crowded places and when a car is moving in a city."

Ahmadi denied the bombs were supplied by other countries, Stars and Stripes said.

"We don't need anyone's help," he said.

Coalition officials declined a request for interview, telling Stars and Stripes speculation about bomb types puts troops at risk.