Army retakes prison after 20hour fight
JALALABAD, Afghanistan — Militants affiliated with the Islamic State stormed a prison in eastern Afghanistan in a daylong siege that left at least 39 people dead, including the assailants, and freed nearly 400 of their fighters before security forces restored order, a government official said Monday.
The attack underscored that the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan is still a formidable presence, and it highlighted the challenges ahead as U.S. and NATO forces begin to withdraw following Washington’s peace deal with the Taliban.
The peace accord aims to recruit the Taliban to battle the militants from Islamic State, which U.S. officials have said is the Americans’ biggest foe in Afghanistan. The Taliban and the Islamic State affiliate are staunch rivals.
At least 10 of the dead were Islamic State militants involved in the assault to free their comrades from the prison in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, said Ajmal Omar, a provincial council member. The rest of the dead were believed to be prisoners, civilians and Afghan forces, although no official breakdown was given.
Another 50 people were wounded in the attack that began Sunday when a suicide bomber detonated his explosivespacked vehicle at the entrance to the prison complex some 70 miles east of Kabul, Omar said.
Other militants simultaneously stormed the prison and took up positions in nearby residential buildings. They fired on Afghan troops for several hours, even after the security forces retook the prison and began recapturing some of the inmates.
Of the five prisoners killed by the militants, at least three were members of the Taliban, showing the tensions between the two factions.
Omar said about 600 prisoners stayed in their cells or hid during the siege. It was unclear Monday how many prisoners remained at large.
The Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan, known as Islamic State in Khorasan Province, claimed responsibility for the attack. The militants have established a base in Nangarhar province.
Afghanistan has seen a recent surge in violence, with most attacks claimed by Islamic State militants. U.S. and Afghan forces — along with the Taliban — have pounded Islamic State positions.
While the group’s strength might have been reduced, analysts say it is still able to stage highprofile attacks such as the jailbreak.
On Saturday, authorities said Afghan special forces killed a senior Islamic State commander near Jalalabad.