(Jalalabad) Armed men stormed an Afghan prison on Sunday evening in Jalalabad (East) after detonating a vehicle, killing at least one, according to a provincial official who said the fighting was ongoing.
France Media Agency
This attack, in which the Taliban insurgents have denied any responsibility, breaks a relative calm across the country, where no clashes had been noted since the start of Friday of a three-day truce decreed by the government and the Taliban on the occasion of the Muslim festivities of Eid al-Adha.
"This attack is not our fault. Our mujahedin are not yet allowed to carry out attacks, "Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the insurgents, told AFP.
According to Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for Nangarhar province, of which Jalalabad is the capital, "the attackers [...] first detonated a car near the security perimeter of the prison".
PHOTO NOORULLAH SHIRZADA, FRANCE-PRESSE AGENCY
A civilian was killed and 19 wounded were taken to the provincial hospital, the door said. - speech of the establishment, Zaher Adel.
Attackers, disguised as members of the security forces, entered the prison, a security official told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that "12 prisoners were arrested by security forces as they tried to escape ".
Respect, these last 72 hours, of the truce between the Taliban and the Afghan authorities, the third official break only in the fighting in two decades of conflict, gave hope for a breakthrough in the timid peace process recently started.
President Ashraf Ghani and the insurgents have hinted that talks between the government and the Taliban could begin after Eid.
