Kandhar, Afghanistan: June 14, 2008 – IR Summary/Agencies - The extremist Taliban movement (ETM) has claimed responsibility today for a prison attack in southern Afghanistan setting free hundreds of militant inmates by killing the guards, estimated to be about 15.

"We carried out the attack," Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP by phone from an unknown location.

The spokesman said his militants launched two suicide attacks, including ramming a water tanker packed with explosives into the prison complex in Kandahar city, before gunmen on motorbikes forced their way inside.

"First we exploded two suicide attacks and then our mujahedin (holy warriors) riding motorcycles entered the prison and killed the remaining security guards.

"We successfully freed all prisoners including our jailed Taliban and other prisoners," he told AFP.

Authorities confirmed that most of the 1,000 prisoners including Taliban-linked inmates were freed during the brazen attack on the main prison in the troubled city on Friday night.

The bodies of at least 15 guards have been recovered, officials also said.
The Taliban have been battling the government of President Hamid Karzai since they were toppled from power in a US-led operation for failing to hand over Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in 2001 as per AFP.

The Extremist Taliban Movement (EAM) are treating this attack as their big success to free their inmates.