Taliban break open jail in Kandahar

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, June 13 (UPI) -- Taliban suicide bombers cracked open the jail in Kandahar, freeing 1,150 Afghan prisoners Friday, including 400 militants.

A spokesman for the Taliban said two suicide bombers and 30 fighters on motorcycles and armed with Kalashnikovs were involved in the attack, The Independent reported. One bomber set off a truckload of explosives to break down the main gate while another brought down mud walls.

"They used a truck to blow the gate open and all of the guards have been killed and are under rubble," said Abdul Qadir, the prison governor.

Wali Karzai, brother of President Ahmed Karzai and head of the Kandahar Provincial Council, said all the inmates got out. Kandahar is the largest city and major trading center in southern Afghanistan and the jail housed prisoners from all over the region.

The explosion at the gate was so powerful it broke windows almost 2 miles away, the BBC reported.

Kandahar was the Taliban capital when the group ruled the country and remains a militant stronghold.