New push for Afghan disarmament

Tonnes of arms and ammunition have been handed in to the UN

Afghan authorities are launching a new push to persuade people to hand in Stinger missiles dating back to the war against the Soviet Union in the 1980s.

The country's intelligence service will pay an undisclosed sum to those who turn over their weapons.

The US Central Intelligence Agency gave Stinger missiles to mujahideen fighters in the 1980s to aid their battle against the Soviet occupation.

There are now fears that the weapons may be in the hands of terrorists.

Four Stingers have been recovered so far under a UN disarmament programme, General Mohammed Zahir Azimi told the Associated Press news agency.

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"Stingers are valuable and important weapons. Nobody gives up such a weapon easily," he said.

Stingers are easy to use and transport, are heat-seeking and can be fired from a distance of about 8km (5 miles) and to a height of more than 3,000m.

The Americans believe between 200 and 300 Stingers fell into the hands of the Taleban or al-Qaeda although none has been used against US forces in Afghanistan.

The Afghan intelligence agency plans a poster campaign to publicise the desired handover of weapons and has asked artists to submit a design, state TV reported. The prize money is 100,000 Afghanis ($2,300; £1,200).