31 killed in IS attack on Jalalabad prison

JALALABAD: At least 31 people have been killed in a raid claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group on an Afghan prison, officials said Monday, shattering a ceasefire between the Taliban and government forces marking the Muslim holiday of Eid-ul-Azha.

Fighting was still raging on Monday, a day after gunmen stormed the prison holding around 1,700 mostly Islamic State (IS) or Taliban inmates in the eastern city of Jalalabad. The IS news outlet Amaq announced its fighters were behind the raid, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. Gunmen remained holed up inside and around the prison, Nangarhar governor’s spokesman Attaullah Khogyani said. Several armoured vehicles and scores of security personnel were seen deployed in the area, and gunfire and explosions could be heard.

Zaher Adel, a spokesman for the provincial hospital, said 31 people had been killed so far -- including security personnel. The toll was expected to rise, he warned, 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.

Khogyani said special forces had so far cleared four floors of a five-storey building outside the prison where several attackers had been holed up since Sunday night. The attack was complex, with gunmen initially setting off an explosives-packed car near the prison. They later opened fire on the guards at the facility from a nearby market, an official said. 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, the National Director of Security said Saturday.

Meanwhile, a ceasefire between the Taliban and Afghan government appeared to hold for the third and final day on Sunday, with hundreds of militant prisoners released in a bid to bring peace talks closer.

Calm prevailed across much of Afghanistan, with officials not reporting any major clashes between the two foes since the truce began on Friday to mark the Muslim festival of Eidul Azha.

President Ashraf Ghani and the Taliban have both indicated that long-delayed negotiations could begin straight after Eid. The rare respite from violence gave some Afghans the opportunity to safely visit relatives for Eid celebrations after long periods apart