Afghanistan: Terrorist attack on prison ended; 29 dead, 50 wounded

The ongoing years-long battle between Afghan forces and terrorists, which nearly killed 29 people and left at least 50 wounded, has ended after an 18-hour-long gun battle. According to international media reports, the Afghan forces were able to retake the Nangarhar prison in Jalalabad after the facility was targeted by Islamic State group militants. The prison is believed to hold hundreds of IS members. 

As per reports, the attack by the terrorists began late on August 2 when a suicide bomber slammed his explosive-laden vehicle into the prison entrance. The provincial police chief reportedly informed that there were around eight attackers. However, the Afghan Defense Ministry in a statement informed that the prison the Jalalabad, located around 115 kilometres east of Kabul, was now under the control of Afghan forces. 

READ: Attack On Prison In Afghanistan Continues; At Least 11 Dead

Even though the Afghan troops retook the prison, the IS terrorists reportedly continued to fire on security forces from a nearby neighbourhood. Sporadic gunfire also rang out from nearby residential buildings in central Jalalabad, which is an area of high security near the provincial Governor’s office. According to reports, as security forces swept through the prison, they even found the bodies of two Taliban prisoners who were apparently killed by the Islamic State group. 

READ: Suicide Car Bomb, Gunmen Attack Prison In East Afghanistan

Three terrorists killed 

The killing of Taliban inmates shows the tensions between the two terrorist factions battling each other in eastern Afghanistan. Meanwhile, among the 29 dead were prisoners as well as civilians, prison guards and Afghan security personnel, Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province reportedly informed. Furthermore, the officials also informed that three terrorists were also killed during the long gun battle. 

While the motive of the attack wasn't immediately clear, some prisoners did successfully escape during the fighting, said a provincial official. As per reports, the prison houses about 1,500 inmates, of which several hundred are believed to belong to the Islamic State group affiliate in Afghanistan. The attack came a day after the Afghan intelligence agency reportedly said a senior Islamic State group commander was killed by Afghan special forces near Jalalabad. While the IS group has seen its so-called caliphate stretching across Iraq and Syria eliminated after a years-long campaign, the group has continued fighting in Afghanistan. The extremists also have battled the Taliban in the country. 

(Image: Rep/AP) 

(With Agency inputs)

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