At least 29 people have been killed in an attack on a prison in Jalalabad, capital of Afghanistan’s eastern province, that began late on Sunday, officials said Monday.
More than 50 othersmore were wounded in the attack which began with a car bombing near the jail compound.
The deaths included civilians, security forces and prisoners, Ataullah Khogyani, a spokesman for provincial governor said.
He said that eight attackers were killed in the assault.
According to the official, there were 1,793 prisoners in the jail when the attack happened. 1,025 prisoners were recaptured while they were fleeing and 430 stranded prisoners were rescued. Some were killed or injured or went missing, he said.
Nearly 20 hours after the assault began, the ministry of defense announced that the prison was cleared of the attackers. It said that the operation was ongoing to clear a building where the attackers had taken position.
Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, which came a day after the Afghan intelligence agency announced killing of a senior IS commander in Nangarhar.
