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New Delhi: The Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Nangarhar central prison in the city of Jalalabad in Afghanistan, which killed 31 people. The attack has shattered the ceasefire agreement made between the Taliban and the Afghan government forces marking the Muslim holiday of Eid-ul-Azha.
The IS shared a message on social media reading, ‘By the grace of Allah and as part of the Raid of Attrition, caliphate soldiers attacked the Nangarhar central prison in the city of Jalalabad yesterday. There, the martyrdom-seeking brother Abu-Rawahah al-Muhajir, may Allah accept him, moved toward a gathering of prison guards near the gate and detonated his booby-trapped car, striking them’.
Crossfire was still raging on Monday, a day after gunmen stormed the prison holding around 1,700 mostly IS or the Taliban inmates in the eastern city of Jalalabad. The IS news outlet Amaq announced its fighters were behind the raid.
According to local reports, gunmen remained holed up inside and around the prison, Nangarhar governor’s spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said. Several armored vehicles and scores of security personnel were seen deployed in the area, and gunfire and explosions could be heard.
Afghan officials said 31 people had been killed so far — including security personnel. The toll was expected to rise, as many of the more than 40 wounded people were in serious condition. The raid shattered the relative calm of a ceasefire between the Taliban and Afghan government forces that started Friday and ended Sunday.
At the time of Sunday´s attack, the prison held more than 1,700 inmates — mostly IS or Taliban fighters, a security source said. About 700 who escaped have been re-captured, he said.
Afghan officials said that their special forces had so far cleared four floors of a five-storied building outside the prison where several attackers had been holed up since Sunday night. The attack was complex, with the gunmen primarily blasting an explosives-packed car near the prison. They later opened fire on the guards at the facility from a nearby market.
The raid came a day after the country´s intelligence agency announced the killing of a top commander of the Islamic State group near Jalalabad. Assadullah Orakzai was involved in several deadly attacks against Afghan security forces.
Meanwhile, President Ashraf Ghani and the Taliban have both indicated that long-delayed negotiations could begin straight after Eid.
