More than 300 prisoners at large after Islamic State terrorists attacked prison in Afghanistan

The Spokesman for Nangarhar’s provincial governor, Attaullah Khogyani, said on Monday that of the 1,793 prisoners, more than 1,025 had tried to escape and been recaptured while 430 had remained inside, according to presstv.

“The rest are missing,” he added.

Khogyani said earlier in the day that at least 29 people had been killed and 50 others wounded in the attack, adding that civilians, prisoners and members of the Afghan security forces were among the casualties.

The attack began on Sunday evening, when gunmen detonated a car packed with explosives at the entrance gate of the prison in the provincial capital of Jalalabad. They then opened fire on the prison’s security guards. Two more explosions were reportedly heard coming from inside the prison afterwards.

Later in the day, the Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.

The assault led to a mass jailbreak from the prison believed to be holding hundreds of Daesh members, forcing police to launch a city-wide search for them.

Afghan security forces have managed to take back control of the prison’s checkpoint, but fighting is still continuing.

Afghan sources confirmed that three Daesh assailants — out of an estimated 30 — had been killed.

Sunday’s attack came on the third and final day of a ceasefire between the Taliban militants and the Afghan government for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which marks the culmination of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

The two sides are on the verge of completing an agreement for a prisoner swap that is part of a deal between the Taliban and the United States.

Under the deal, the Afghan government, which was not a signatory to the agreement, was required to release up to 5,000 Taliban prisoners. The militants, for their part, were obliged to free 1,000 government captives.

Negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban militant group were expected to begin shortly, following the completion of the prisoner swap.

There have been no talks with Daesh, which has in recent years claimed responsibility for a string of horrific bombing and other attacks across Afghanistan.

The terrorist group emerged in Afghanistan in 2015 as it gradually faced defeat and lost its strongholds in Syria and Iraq.

The terrorist group, which has based itself mainly in Nangarhar Province, has an estimated 2,000 to 2,500 militants.

Source: Farsnews