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.
Separately, an explosion killed four soldiers from theU.S.-led force during an operation in the western province ofFarah on Saturday, the single bloodiest toll among foreigntroops in one day in recent weeks in Afghanistan.
Authorities have also launched a probe to find out if anysecurity officials were involved in the commando-style attackon the Kandahar prison by several dozen Taliban fighters underdarkness 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 a suicidebomber driving a truck into the jail gate.
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.
"We are trying to find out that if there was any insidehelp," Hashimzai said.
A local politician said 15 policemen were killed in theTaliban storming of the prison and subsequent clashes. He didnot have more details.
NATO-led troops were supporting Afghan security forces incordoning off the area in the hunt for the prison inmates, analliance spokesman in Kabul said.
SEARCHES
In Kandahar city, Afghan forces were checking vehicles andmotorcyclists on roads. Some houses, where authoritiessuspected some escapees had hidden, were also searched,residents said.
Dozens of police and army soldiers were deployed outsidethe badly damaged prison.
They ordered vehicles to move away from the road which isonly metres away from the jail. A pile of rubble caused fromthe collapse of two towers of the jail along with its brokengate could be seen.
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, speaking toReuters from an unknown location by phone, said all Talibanformer prisoners had arrived at 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.
The attack came a day after international donors pledgedmore than $20 billion (10 billion pounds) for Afghanistan whereover 60,000 foreign troops led by NATO and the U.S. military aswell as some 150,000 Afghan forces are trying to defeat theTaliban-led insurgents.
Frustration is high among Afghans over growing insecurity,lack of economic development, corruption and with hundreds ofcivilian deaths by foreign troops while hunting the Taliban.
On Saturday hundreds of people staged a protest in thesoutheastern province of Paktia, accusing U.S.-led coalitiontroops of killing civilians in an air strike this week.
Afghan officials say two women were killed in lateThursday's raid and that the rest of the victims weremilitants.
(Writing by Sayed Salahuddin; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
