Hundreds of inmates escape as Taliban raid Afghan jail

Taliban insurgents in military uniform set off a car bomb and stormed an Afghan prison on Monday, freeing hundreds of inmates and killing four policemen as they step up attacks despite a bitter leadership transition. The brazen attack in the eastern city of Ghazni was reminiscent of the last major Afghan jailbreak in 2011 when nearly 500 Taliban inmates escaped from a prison in the southern province of Kandahar. The raid, which left bullet-riddled bodies at the entrance of the prison, comes as Afghan forces face their first fighting season against the insurgents without full NATO support.

First they detonated a car bomb in front of the gate, fired an RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) and then raided the prison.

Deputy provincial governor Mohammad Ali Ahmadi

Deputy provincial governor Mohammad Ahmadi said at least four police guards were killed and seven others were wounded, and that three Taliban fighters were also killed in the early morning battle. He added that 352 inmates escaped after the attack but the Afghan interior ministry said up to 400 managed to flee. Taliban insurgents are stepping up their summer offensive despite a simmering leadership succession dispute after the confirmation of the death of longtime chief Mullah Omar. Mullah Akhtar Mansour, a trusted deputy of Omar, was named as the insurgents’ new chief in late July, but the power transition has been acrimonious. Afghan security forces, stretched on multiple fronts, are struggling to rein in the Taliban as NATO forces pull back from the frontlines.

World Ghazni