By Ismail Sameem
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan and foreign troopswere hunting on Saturday hundreds of prisoners, includingmilitants, who escaped the main prison in southern Kandaharcity after a raid by Taliban insurgents, the government said.
Authorities have also launched a probe to find out if anygovernment officials were involved in the commando-style attackby several dozen Taliban fighters under darkness on Friday.
So far none of the prisoners have been tracked down, deputyjustice minister Mohammad Qasim Hashimzai, told Reuters.
"It was a very unprecedented attack and together withforeign forces, an operation has been launched to track downand arrest the prisoners."
Hashimzai said some 1,000 inmates, including up to 400Taliban, were held in the prison before the attack.
He could not say how many had managed to escape, addingthere were casualties among police, the Taliban and prisonersfrom a clash following the attack which began with the blowingof the jail's entrance by a suicide bomber driving a truck atit.
Several dozen Taliban, armed with rocket propelled grenadesand assault rifles then stormed the mud-built compound andstarted to free the prisoners which apart from militantsincluded women and suspected criminals.
"Government officials are busy finding out what reallyhappened. We are trying to find out that if there was anyinside help," Hashimzai said.
On Saturday morning, life went on as usual in Kandaharcity. There were no visible signs of heavy security orcheckpoints on key roads leading out of the city. But dozens ofpolice and army soldiers were deployed outside the badlydamaged prison.
They ordered vehicles to speed away from the road which isonly meters away from the jail. A pile of rubble caused fromthe collapse of two towers of the jail along with its brokengate could be seen.
POWERFUL IMPACT
The impact of the blast had badly damaged kiosks and shopsacross the road. "I was packing to finish for the day and allof a sudden heard a very, very loud explosion and then a hugeflame," said Abdul Qodous a shopkeeper.
"Then I started to run away,".
Some high ranking Taliban field commanders were also amongthose who have managed to escape, a politician said fromKandahar, the birth place and the main stronghold of theTaliban who were ousted from power in 2001.
A Taliban spokesman, Qari Mohammad Yousuf, from an unknownlocation by phone said all Taliban former prisoners had arrivedto their "safe destinations".
The U.S. military has handed over an unspecified number ofsuspected Taliban fighters to Afghan custody under a programmeagreed last year to transfer all Afghan prisoners from U.S.detention.
Last month, scores of Taliban prisoners in Kandahar's jailresorted to several days of hunger strike, complaining of beingbadly treated.
Friday's attack was the most brazen by Taliban militantswho have made a come back since 2006, although the group inApril tried to assassinate President Hamid Karzai as he wasattending a military parade near the presidential palace inKabul.
(Additional reporting and writing by Sayed Salahuddin;Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
