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Hundreds of Daesh and Taliban prisoners on the run after prison siege
An Afghan MP on Tuesday claimed as many as 800 ISIS (Daesh) and Taliban prisoners are on the loose after escaping during Sunday’s deadly prison attack in Jalalabad.
Abdul Karim Karimi, a Member of Parliament, said: “1,700 prisoners were inside the jail during the attack, they all attempted to escape. Out of which, 500 of them failed to escape, whereas 800 more prisoners including Daesh, Taliban, and criminals fled.”
According to officials, prisoners being held in that particular jail were political prisoners and criminals. Among them were Taliban and Daesh militants.
The Nangarhar governor’s spokesman, Ataullah Khogyani, confirmed that hundreds of prisoners escaped but that the matter will be investigated in order to ascertain whether there was any negligence on the part of prison staff.
“So far, hundreds of prisoners including Daesh, Taliban, and other criminals are missing,” Khogyani said.
Local officials did not give details as to the identity of the missing prisoners but said search operations were underway in a bid to capture the escaped convicts.
Sources meanwhile added that out of five prisoners killed in Sunday’s attack, three of them were Taliban commanders.
Meanwhile, Daesh sent out letters overnight to residents of Jalalabad warning them not to hand over any CCTV footage they might have that recorded events outside their shops or houses during the time of the siege.
Sunday’s prison attack started with a car bomb just after 6.30pm and lasted for at least 18 hours before security forces were able to bring the situation under control.
Soon after militants stormed the facility, Daesh claimed responsibility. Officials said 11 Daesh militants had been involved.
While the siege was underway, security forces also raided a property in Behsoud district in Nangarhar and seized hundreds of weapons and military hardware.
The prison siege started just a day after Afghanistan’s intelligence services announced the Afghan special forces had killed a high-ranking Daesh member in an operation in the eastern province of Nangarhar.
A statement late Saturday by the National Directorate of Security said the slain militant was Assadullah Orakzai, an intelligence leader for the IS affiliate (Daesh) in Afghanistan. The statement said he was killed near Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province. IS has its headquarters in the province.
Orakzai was suspected of being involved in several deadly attacks against both military and civilian targets in Afghanistan.
Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Thursday met with Iranian Deputy Justice Minister Askar Jalalian in Kabul, where they discussed refugees, prisoners, economic and political cooperation.
Muttaqi, while appreciating Iran’s hosting of Afghan refugees for four decades, called on Tehran to treat refugees well and be patient towards them, Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement.
He also said that the Islamic Emirate is committed to cooperate with Iran in relation to the repatriation of Afghan prisoners, asking the Iranian Deputy Minister of Justice to cooperate fully in this regard.
According to the statement, Iran's deputy justice minister said Tehran was following recent developments in Afghanistan and was pleased with the stability.
He added that the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue its cooperation and, based on the agreements reached, will transfer Afghan prisoners in the near future.
Russia and Pakistan urged "enhanced" coordination among regional countries Thursday for a "peaceful and prosperous" Afghanistan, according to a statement from the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.
The call was made during a meeting between Russian Special Envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov and Pakistani Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch in Islamabad where the two sides exchanged views on relations with Afghanistan.
Kabulov arrived in Islamabad for a visit earlier in the day.
A Qatari aircraft carrying medical aid and four ambulances touched down on Thursday at Kabul Airport.
The aid, provided by Qatar Fund for Development, was received by Deputy Minister of Public Health Bakht-ur-Rahman Sharafat and Qatar's Acting Chargé d'Affaires to Afghanistan Mirdef bin Ali Al Qashouti, Qatar's foreign ministry said in a statement.
"This aid comes within the framework of the State of Qatar's efforts and its firm commitment to providing support and standing by the brotherly Afghan people, and providing them with their urgent and necessary needs," the statement said.
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