Taliban storm jail in Kandahar, free 1,100

Taliban militants attack the main prison in southern Afghanistan, blowing up the gate and helping over 1,100 prisoners flee, say officials.

Taliban militants attacked the main prison in southern Afghanistan late on Friday, blowing up the gate and helping over 1,100 prisoners flee, officials said. Many police officers were reported killed.

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Taliban spokesperson Qari Yousef Ahmadi said 30 insurgents on motorbikes and two suicide bombers attacked Sarposa Prison and freed about 400 Taliban members. He added the attack had been planned for two months. Kandahar is a former Taliban stronghold.

A shopkeeper near the prison said he saw prisoners disappear into nearby pomegranate and grape groves.

The jailbreak may have repercussions for India, such as an escalation in infiltration and terrorist activity on the Line of Control.