[R-G] Insurgent attack frees hundreds from Kandahar prison

[Anthony Fenton]

Insurgent attack frees hundreds from Kandahar prison

Last Updated: Friday, June 13, 2008 | 4:31 PM ET Comments30Recommend43
CBC News
http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/06/13/afghanistan-prison.html

Militants have attacked the main prison in the southern Afghan city of  
Kandahar, killing an unspecified number of police officers and setting  
all prisoners free, Afghan officials said Friday.

Around 10 p.m., Taliban insurgents drove a car filled with explosives  
up to Sarposa prison's main gate and detonated it, destroying the gate  
and killing all police officers in the vicinity, CBC's Paul Hunter  
reported from Kandahar.

Afghan officials also said Taliban insurgents fired several rockets at  
parts of the prison.

"All the prisoners escaped. There is no one left," said Wali Karzai,  
president of Kandahar's provincial council and the brother of  
President Hamid Karzai.

About 1,170 inmates were believed to have been in the prison and may  
now be roaming the streets of Kandahar City, said Hunter.

Witnesses reported seeing Canadian tanks roll into the city about an  
hour after the incident.

Canadian Forces are in command of Kandahar and most of the roughly  
2,500 Canadian troops in Afghanistan are stationed there.

The prison, the largest detention facility in Kandahar province,  
housed both common criminals and captured Taliban militants who had  
been fighting NATO troops and the Afghan government.

Officials with NATO's International Security Assistance Force said  
they are aware of the attack, but had no details.

Canadian Forces officials are expected to provide further details at a  
media briefing at Kandahar Airfield later in the day.