At least 29 people have been killed in fighting between Afghan security forces and gunmen who raided a jail overnight in an attack claimed by the ISIL (ISIS) group, officials said on Monday.
Among the dead were prisoners as well as civilians, prison guards and Afghan security personnel, Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province, told Al Jazeera.
Another 50 people were wounded in the attack that began late on Sunday when an ISIL suicide bomber slammed his explosive-laden vehicle into the gate of the prison, with hundreds of prisoners fleeing.
An Afghan security official takes position near the scene of the jail attack [Ghulamullah Habibi/EPA]
ISIL’s affiliate in Afghanistan, known as IS in Khorasan, claimed responsibility for the attack. The affiliate is headquartered in Nangarhar province.
At least 10 of the group’s fighters were killed by Afghan security forces, the defence ministry said in a statement.
“The attack is now over,” Sohrab Qaderi, a…
