Taliban militants dug a drawn out tunnel subversive and into the main jail in Kandahar city and whisked out more than 450 prisoners, the majority of whom were Taliban fighters, officials and rebellious said Monday.
The immense overnight jailbreak in Afghanistan's second-largest city underscores the Afghan government's lifelong weak point in the south despite an influx of international troops, funding and advisers. Kandahar city, in particular, has been a focus of the worldwide shot to establish a strong Afghan government existence in former Taliban strongholds.
The 1,200-inmate Sarposa Prison has been part of that plan. The ability has undergone security upgrades and makes tighter procedures following a brazen 2008 Taliban assault that freed 900 prisoners. Afghan government officials and their NATO backers have frequently said that the prison has vastly enhanced security since that attack.
