Kabul administration authorities in Jalalabad have asked residents to stay indoors. Afghan Army’s chief of staff Gen. Yasin Zia is also present in the city to lead the operation himself. Security forces launched a special operation when Jalalabad prison was attacked that evening. Authorities announced that the prison is under control and five attackers have been killed. Jalalabad is some 115 kilometers east of Kabul and is the capital of Nangahar province. Taliban denied involvement in any attack during the ceasefire.
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ISIS Afghanistan branch also known as ISIS-k or Daesh is responsible for the attack.
Attack details
A suicide bomber slammed a vehicle bourn improvised explosive device (VBIED) into a prison in Jalalabad. According to Afghan media outlets. An SVBIED attack left about the number of people dead and many injured. This was followed by heavy fire by the number of attackers. The SVBIED attack was used to clear the entrance of heavily fortified prison. The attack SVBIED started just after 6:30 PM on Sunday and continued through the night and into Monday. Once SVBIED struck the main entrance and blew up all the barriers. Attackers stormed into the prison building and took positions.
Majority of prisoners fled
Militants then stormed the facility. In the gun battle, hundreds of prisoners escaped. Daesh militants took control of two prison towers earlier. Some prisoners joined by taking up arms and started fighting alongside the attackers. However, there has been no official confirmation of these reports.
This prison houses about 1300 inmates which include Taliban members, Daesh militants, and criminals. Afghan Security and Defense Force personnel in armoured vehicles surrounded the prison in the middle of Jalalabad, just 700 meters (half a mile) from the governor\’s office. According to authorities, not more than 1000 prisoners have successfully fled after the attack. Security forces were able to arrest some of them but the majority of prisoners are still at large.
21 dead and many injured
Nangarhar governor’s spokesman, Attaullah Khogyani, meanwhile said the death toll has risen to 21 and 43 wounded. The dead included civilians, prisoners, guards, and Afghan security forces, Khogyani said. While Zahir Adil, a spokesman for the provincial health directorate, told Ariana News that 13 of those wounded are in a critical condition.
ISIS-K attacks are increasing
Afghanistan has seen a recent spike in violence. Most of these attacks by the ISIS Khurasan branch are more gruesome in nature.
Aside from the prison break attack is also important regarding the future of the ISIS-k role. Taliban fighters have successfully established themselves as main stakeholders of Afghanistan and signed a peace deal with the US. This attack came on the last day of the Taliban declared a ceasefire. This is not the first attack by ISIS-k, the infamous so-called Islamic state has previously staged many gruesome and heinous attacks which include an attack on Sikh temple in Kabul and a recent attack in eastern Lugar province on Thursday that killed at least nine people and left 40 wounded.
Opposing Ideologies
Taliban have openly opposed ISIS ideology and also launched military campaigns against it. They blame Kabul administration for ties with ISIS-k and using it to sabotage peace deal. Kabul’s national directorate of security is under scrutiny for giving safe houses to ISIS-k militants.
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