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Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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14Sep15
Taliban attack jail in Afghan city of Ghazni, freeing hundreds of prisoners
Taliban insurgents stormed a prison in the central Afghan city of Ghazni early on Monday, killing police and releasing hundreds of prisoners, police said.
A Reuters reporter at the scene saw the bodies of two men who appeared to be suicide bombers and a blown-up car that had apparently been used to destroy the main entrance of the jail. It appeared almost all the prisoners had escaped.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said gunmen and three suicide bombers attacked the prison at 2 am and freed 400 prisoners. The three bombers were killed, he said.
"Forty Afghan security forces and prison guards were killed in the prison break and important military mujahideen officials have been freed," he said.
The Taliban often exaggerate casualty tolls in statements about attacks on government and foreign targets.
Mohammed Ali Ahmadi, the deputy governor of Ghazni, said 352 prisoners had escaped, including about 150 Taliban. He said seven Taliban and four members of the Afghan security forces were killed in the attack in Ghazni, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) south-west of the capital, Kabul.
Security officials would not confirm how many prisoners were in the jail or the number of casualties.
One security official said the attackers were wearing the uniforms of Afghan security forces.
The Taliban are fighting to overthrow the foreign-backed government of President Ashraf Ghani, expel foreign forces from Afghanistan and impose a strict interpretation of Islamic law.
[Source: The Guardian, Reuters, London, 14Sep15]
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 | This document has been published on 16Sep15 by the Equipo Nizkor and Derechos Human Rights. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. |