Waste fears as Afghan soldiers cash in on spent ammo

An Afghan National Army soldier holds a position while patrolling the village of But Khak on the outskirts of Kabul May 15, 2012. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani/File Photo

KABUL (Reuters) - Zahir Jan, a scrap metal dealer in the southern Afghan province of Helmand, pays about 175 Afghani ($2.55) per kilo of spent cartridge casings and has no trouble finding supplies from poorly paid soldiers and policemen looking for extra cash.

If they don't have enough on hand, he says they're happy to fire off their weapons for 5-10 minutes until he has what he needs.