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Hundreds of Daesh and Taliban prisoners on the run after prison siege

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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.

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US senator pushes bill to block US funds from reaching Afghanistan

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Republican Senator Tim Sheehy said on Monday night that he is leading efforts to push the No Taxpayer Funding for Terrorists Act in the US Senate, which will prevent American financial aid from reaching Afghanistan.

In a post on X, the Montana senator, who is a former Navy Seal, said: “After fighting terrorists for years in Iraq and Afghanistan, I’m proud to lead the No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act in the U.S. Senate.”

The bill was originally introduced in the House of Representatives by Republican Congressman Tim Burchett to oppose financial and material support from going to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA). The bill was passed during President Joe Biden’s administration but failed to secure Senate approval.

However, on Monday, Congressman Tim Burchett issued a statement saying he will hold a press conference on Tuesday, February 25, on the Act.

He said in Monday’s statement that while working on the bill “it was brought to our attention that weekly cash shipments of around $40 million USD were being sent to the Afghanistan Central Bank.

“Additionally, after a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in December of 2024, Secretary Blinken admitted that around $10 million had been paid to the Taliban (IEA) in the form of taxes.”

He said the bill was “passed unanimously through both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House of Representatives. Unfortunately, then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer refused to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.”

“This legislation has been sat on long enough. We need to move this through both chambers and get it to President Trump’s desk,” said Burchett.

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Torkham remains closed after Pakistan-Afghanistan talks fail

The Pakistani authorities have requested that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) refrain from constructing new facilities along the Durand Line.

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The Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan remained closed on Tuesday after four days of negotiations between officials from the two countries failed to yield results.

Torkham commissioner Abdul Jabbar Hikmat reported that discussions held Monday were chaired by the deputy governor of Nangarhar but ended without any agreement.

The Pakistani authorities have requested that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) refrain from constructing new facilities along the Durand Line.

According to Bakhtar news agency, Pakistan also said Afghanistan should not obstruct Pakistan’s own development projects in the area.

Hikmat confirmed that this request was rejected by the Afghan side, which resulted in Pakistan maintaining its closure of the Torkham gate.

The ongoing closure has left thousands of travelers, including medical patients and commercial convoys stranded on both sides of the border.

Torkham is a key crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan, especially for trucks. Closures of this border crossing result in huge losses for traders as many rely on this route to move fresh produce between the two countries.

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IEA confirms arrest of UK couple and a Chinese-American in Afghanistan

Meanwhile, Britain’s Foreign Office confirmed the detention of the two British nationals adding that the government was supporting their family.

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Afghanistan’s ministry of interior’s spokesman, Abdul Mateen Qani, confirmed Monday night that the Islamic Emirate has detained two Brits, a Chinese-American, and their Afghan translator.

Qani told AFP that “efforts are underway to resolve this issue”.

The two Brits, Peter and Barbie Reynolds, are both in their 70s and were detained in Bamiyan province.

According to their daughter, the couple has lived in Afghanistan for 18 years and stayed on after the IEA regained control.

“Based on certain considerations, the authorities have detained four people: two British citizens holding Afghan papers, one person with Chinese and American nationality and their translator,” Qani told AFP.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Foreign Office confirmed the detention of the two British nationals adding that the government was supporting their family.

“We are supporting the family of two British nationals who are detained in Afghanistan,” a spokesperson said in a statement on Monday.

In a statement reported by the BBC on Monday, Qani said: “A series of considerations are being taken into account, and after evaluation, we will endeavour to release them as soon as possible.”

Qani added the three foreign nationals had Afghan passports and national ID cards.

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