Sarposa Prison attack
Encyclopedia
The Sarposa Prison attack was a raid on the Sarposa Prison
in Kandahar
, Afghanistan
by Taliban insurgents on June 13, 2008. One of the largest attacks by Afghan insurgents, the raid freed 400-1000 prisoners. As of 2008, prison administration was overseen by Abdul Qabir.
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.
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. 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 AK-47
s and rocket-propelled grenades into the prison. Several ran into the prison and began freeing prisoners who fled through the breached walls, and disappeared into nearby pomegranate
and grape groves.
Following reports of the mass-escape, Canadian troops stationed at Kandahar Airfield
were deployed to secure the prison and ISAF
troops began a door-to-door search through Kandahar seeking escapees.
, with 2 Afghan and 4 British soldiers killed in separate incidents, which lead up to the Battle of Arghandab
.
Sarposa prison
The Sarposa prison is a high security prison in Kandahar, Afghanistan, used to hold Taliban militants and other criminals including drug traffickers...
in Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
by Taliban insurgents on June 13, 2008. One of the largest attacks by Afghan insurgents, the raid freed 400-1000 prisoners. As of 2008, prison administration was overseen by Abdul Qabir.
Followed unrest
In May 2008, 200 prisoners announced a hunger strikeHunger strike
A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance or pressure in which participants fast as an act of political protest, or to provoke feelings of guilt in others, usually with the objective to achieve a specific goal, such as a policy change. Most hunger strikers will take liquids but not...
and 47 of the captives physically stitched their mouths shut to protest their conditions. The strike ended when the Afghan parliament
National Assembly of Afghanistan
The National Assembly is Afghanistan's national legislature. It is a bicameral body, comprising two chambers:*Wolesi Jirga or the House of the People: the 250-member lower house.*Meshrano Jirga ) or the House of Elders: an upper house with 102 seats....
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 nightfallNightfall
Nightfall is the beginning of night .Nightfall may also refer to:-Novels, short stories, and comics:* Nightfall , an influential 1941 science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov, later adapted into a radio program , novel , and two low-budget films of the same name* "Nightfall", a 1947 short story...
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. 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 AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
s and rocket-propelled grenades into the prison. Several ran into the prison and began freeing prisoners who fled through the breached walls, and disappeared into nearby pomegranate
Pomegranate
The pomegranate , Punica granatum, is a fruit-bearing deciduous shrub or small tree growing between five and eight meters tall.Native to the area of modern day Iran, the pomegranate has been cultivated in the Caucasus since ancient times. From there it spread to Asian areas such as the Caucasus as...
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, 8 prisoners and the 2 suicide bombers.Following reports of the mass-escape, Canadian troops stationed at Kandahar Airfield
Kandahar Airfield
Kandahar International Airport is located 10 miles south-east of Kandahar City in Afghanistan. The airport was built by the United States in the 1960s, under the United States Agency for International Development program. It may have been intended to be used as a possible U.S...
were deployed to secure the prison and ISAF
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...
troops began a door-to-door search through Kandahar seeking escapees.
Resulting conflicts
Troops were redeployed 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 ArghandabArghandab, Afghanistan
The town of Arghandab is the center of Arghandab District in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan in the valley of Arghandab River northwest from Kandahar. It is located on at an elevation of ....
, with 2 Afghan and 4 British soldiers killed in separate incidents, which lead up to the Battle of Arghandab
Battle of Arghandab
The Battle of Arghandab began on June 18, 2008, when NATO-led forces attacked Taliban militants in response to Taliban attacks in Arghandab District and Kandahar...
.