More than 15 insurgents were killed in Afghanistan as security forces hunted for hundreds of militants who escaped from prison after a daring Taliban attack, police and troops said yesterday.
Afghan and international troops have been searching for more than 1,100 escapees who fled after the militant group blasted open the prison in the southern city of Kandahar and then shot the guards late on Friday.
The prison raid was a blow to Afghan President Hamid Karzai, coming one day after world donors pledged US$20 billion to rebuild Afghanistan at a conference in Paris — but also called on him to strengthen the rule of law.
More than 15 militants were killed at a farm compound in restive Kandahar Province during the search for the escapees, the US-led coalition said in a statement.
Five people were also captured at the compound but it was not immediately known if they or the dead insurgents were also escaped prisoners.
“A large cache of munitions and IED [improvised explosive devise] components were discovered during the search,” the statement said. “The combined forces used precision air strikes to destroy the compound after insurgents attacked with small-arms fire.”
Meanwhile, Kandahar Province police chief Sayed Agha Saqib said that 14 people who broke out of the prison had been recaptured. Six others were taken back into custody on Saturday.
The Taliban said 400 of its own fighters had escaped in the spectacular attack, which they said had been planned over two months.
Afghan authorities put the number of prisoners who fled at 886, more than 380 of whom were Taliban.
NATO’s International Security Assistance Force, which is separate from the US-led coalition, said more than 1,100 prisoners had escaped.
Afghan deputy justice minister Mohammad Qasim Hashimzai said the attack was the most sophisticated yet by the militants, who were removed from government in late 2001 in a US-led invasion.
A Taliban spokesman, Yousuf Ahmadi, said the rebels had used suicide bombs and detonated a bomb-laden water tanker in the attack.
“First we exploded two suicide attacks and then our mujahidin, riding motorcycles, entered the prison and killed the remaining security guards. We successfully freed all prisoners, including our jailed Taliban and other prisoners,” he said in a telephone call from an unknown location.
Amir Mohammad Jamshid, the head of prisons at the ministry of justice, said some “important Taliban” were among those who escaped.
Despite the presence of about 70,000 international troops mainly operating under NATO, the insurgency aimed at toppling the US-backed government in Kabul has gained pace in the past two years.
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