According to the newspaper, which did not cite its source, the devices, which were used to activate bombs via remote control, were either sent to sympathisers in neighbouring countries or carried in by volunteers who flew to Pakistan and crossed the border into Afghanistan.

It reported that an explosives officer told British Foreign Secretary David Miliband of the findings while the minister was in Afghanistan on a two-day visit this past week.

"We have found electronic components in devices used to target British troops that originally come from Britain," the unnamed officer told Miliband during a briefing.

Miliband subsequently asked how the parts would have reached Afghanistan, the officer replied that they had either been sent there or had been physically carried into the country by Britons.

"The insurgents in Afghanistan have changed their tactics meaning they now use more and more improvised explosive devices than before," a Ministry of Defence spokesman in London said.

"IEDs pose a significant threat to the safety of our forces and we are looking at ways we can improve protection from them."

There are around 8,300 British soldiers in Afghanistan as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), many of whom are based in Helmand, where the Taliban is waging a bloody insurgency against Western and Afghan security forces.

Last month, Defence Secretary John Hutton signalled he was considering boosting the number of British troops and equipment there, saying his top priority was protecing the country's soldiers against IEDs used by the Taliban.

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