Wednesday, August 22, 2012

As many as 15 Taliban field commanders awaiting death sentences in a Kabul high security prison escape - @TOLONews

News - Afghanistan

Wednesday, 22 August 2012 12:02 Written by TOLOnews.com


As many as 15 Taliban field commanders who were awaiting death sentences in central Kabul's high security prison Pul-e-Charkhi escaped on Monday night, according to sources.

A Pul-e-Charkhi prison official confirmed on the condition of anonymity to TOLOnews that a large group of death row prisoners has "vanished" from the third cell of the sixth block of the penitentiary.

Government officials contacted for comment are still to respond to calls.

The Taliban released a statement on Tuesday saying 15 of their "popular" leaders had escaped from Pul-e-Charkhi prison and "have already rejoined their [Taliban] groups and returned to their families."

The statement said that the escape happened Monday night.

Pul-e-Charkhi prison is one of Afghanistan's maximum security prisons based in the east of the country's capital Kabul.

It comes as last year a group of more than 500 Taliban inmates escaped from Kandahar's central prison through a 320-meter-long tunnel, allegedly helped by Afghan police and prison officers.