Civilians, prisoners and members of the security forces were among the 29 dead and more than 50 injured.
Jalalabad:
Afghan security forces besieged a prison seized by Islamic State fighters in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Monday, with at least 29 people killed after the overnight terrorist assault led to a massive escape.
More than 300 prisoners were on the run, said Attaullah Khugyani, spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province.
Of the 1,793 prisoners, more than 1,025 attempted to escape and were recaptured and 430 remained inside.
“The rest is missing,” he said.
After detonating a car bomb at the entrance on Sunday evening, ISIS gunmen stormed the prison where many ISIS terrorists captured during a campaign over the past month were being held, as well. as Taliban fighters and common criminals.
Mohammad Idres, one of the prisoners held inside and contacted by cell phone, said he could see around four bodies on the ground outside.
“We are very hungry, it is very hot and we have no water,” he told Reuters.
“Sometimes it’s calm and then the shooting starts,” he said. “The security forces do not seem to be able to advance because the attackers hold strategic points, including the watchtowers.”
Of the 1,793 prisoners, more than 1,025 attempted to escape and were recaptured and 430 remained inside.
ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place a day after the Afghan intelligence agency said special forces killed a senior ISIS terrorist near Jalalabad, the provincial capital of Nangarhar.
Officials said Afghan Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Yasin Zia arrived on Monday to oversee the operation, involving special forces, to clean up IS fighters locked in the prison.
Khugyani said civilians, prisoners and members of the security forces were among the 29 dead and more than 50 injured.
“Eight gunmen were killed while some areas where the attackers had taken up positions were cleared,” he said.
As the siege dragged on through the day, the normally bustling city was placed under a curfew.
“Jalalabad is completely empty,” Qaderi said.
About 130 km east of Kabul, Jalalabad is on the highway leading to Khyber Pass and the Pakistani city of Peshawar.
A United Nations report last month estimated that there were around 2,200 ISIS operatives in Afghanistan and that while the group has lost territory and its leadership has been exhausted, it remains capable of carrying out attacks of high level.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
