Sarposa Prison attack

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Sarposa Prison attack
partof=the War in Afghanistan (2001–present)


caption=
date=June 13, 2008
place=Kandahar, Afghanistan
result=Taliban victory
(1,200+ prisoners freed).
combatant1=flagicon|Afghanistan Afghan National Police
combatant2=flagicon|Afghanistan|Taliban Taliban insurgents
commander1=
commander2=
strength1=
strength2=
casualties1=15 policemen killedcite news |first=Carlotta |last=Gall |authorlink=Carlotta Gall |title=Taliban Free 1,200 Inmates in Attack on Afghan Prison |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/14/world/asia/14kandahar.html?_r=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin
publisher=The New York Times |date=June 14, 2008 |accessdate=2008-06-15 ]
casualties2=8 prisoners, 2 suicide bombers

The Sarposa Prison attack was a raid on the Kandahar detention facility in Kandahar, Afghanistan by Taliban insurgents on June 13, 2008. One of the largest attacks by Afghan insurgents, the raid freed 400-1000 prisoners.Time magazine, " [http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1814433,00.html?xid=feed-cnn-topics&iref=werecommend Taliban Militants Storm Afghan Jail] ", June 13 2008] As of 2008, prison administration was overseen by Abdul Qabir.

Followed unrest

In May 2008, 200 prisoners announced a hunger strike and 47 of the captives physically stitched their mouths shut to protest their conditions. The strike ended when the Afghan parliament agreed to review their detentions; as some of them had been held for two years without charge, or faced summary trials they felt were unfair.

Raid

On June 13, a tanker truck approached the front gates of the prison at approximately 2100H after nightfall left the area darkened, and detonated explosives contained within itself, killing all Afghan police in the area. A second suicide bomber was alleged to have walked to the back gates of the prison in the confusion, and detonated explosives he was carrying himself although later reports suggested the rear wall had not been breached. [Panetta, Alexander. Canadian Press, [http://www.cjad.com/news/56/738924 Canadian troops encounter bomb, exchange gunfire on patrol in Kandahar City] , June 17 2008] Insurgents fired rockets at the prison as the Taliban fighters broke in and a 30-minute battle began.

Over the next thirty minutes, a team of thirty insurgents aboard motorcycles fired rockets, AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades into the prison. Several ran into the prison and began freeing prisonersSchmidt, Doug. Saskatoon Star Phoenix, [http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoenix/news/story.html?id=6e488878-4df4-4b13-95d9-32bf48c263e4 1,000 inmates escape from Afghan prison after blast] , June 13 2008] who fled through the breached walls, and disappeared into nearby pomegranate and grape groves.

Outcome

In the end almost all of the prisoners at the facility, more than 1,200 men, managed to escape. They were aided by minibuses waiting for them outside the prison during the attack. Some 390 of them were suspected Taliban fighters. Reports of people killed in the attack include: 9-16 police officers, [ [http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5j6i4sjw1WUO5gYtvymlipSf0uJGQ] Dead link|date=August 2008] Al Jazeera [http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/83E27E89-F204-41CA-95B5-B78F0401CF10.htm Taliban attacks Afghan prison] , June 13 2008] 8 prisoners and the 2 suicide bombers. [cite news |first=Barbara |last=Starr |coauthors=Peikar, Farhad |title=Taliban fighters escape after Afghan prison bombing|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/06/13/afghanistan.taliban/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=June 14, 2008 |accessdate=2008-06-15 ]

Following reports of the mass-escape, Canadian troops stationed at Kandahar Airfield were deployed to secure the prisonPanetta, Alexander. Toronto Star, [http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/443120 Kandahar prison attacked] , June 13 2008] and ISAF troops began a door-to-door search through Kandahar seeking escapees.

Resulting conflicts

Troops were redeployed [ [http://license.icopyright.net/user/viewContent.act?tag=3.5721%3Ficx_id=D91BH31G0 Taliban take over villages near Kandahar] ] into the area following the prison break and have been involved in skirmishes that have, as of June 17, resulted in 20 Taliban Deaths in Tabin, 16 in Khohak and Arghandab, with 2 Afghan and 4 British soldiers killed in separate incidents, [ [http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AFGHAN_VIOLENCE?SITE=SCCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Afghan, NATO troops kill 36 Taliban near Kandahar] ] which lead up to the Battle of Arghandab.

References