Following a series of six attacks by the Taliban on the central prison in the southern province of Kandahar, sources on Thursday said that the Afghan government has relocated 240 prisoners from Kandahar to Kabul.
The Afghan commandos and the special units of the Afghan National Police are currently responsible for the security of the inmates, said the sources.
Meanwhile, there are reports that the Taliban has taken over the strategic district of Arghandab in Kandahar.
Reports say that some detainees protested following the relocation.
Earlier this week the Taliban launched a series of attacks on PD6 of Kandahar city.
Afghan security authorities at the time said they had repelled the attacks.
TOLOnews correspondent Sharif Amiri reported from Kandahar city that the Afghan commandos on Thursday night launched an operation around Kandahar's main prison in PD6 to thwart another offensive by the Taliban.
“There is complete security in Kandahar, no one should be worried about it, the people should have trust in their security and defense forces,” said Mohammad Nazeer, an Afghan commando officer in Kandahar.
“The enemy has been attacking the prison for several nights, but we are here to defend and to ensure the comfort of our people,” said Sadruddin, a member of the special units of the Afghan National Police.
“We gave the enemy a harsh response,” said Noor-ul-Haq, an Afghan commando in the area.
The Taliban currently controls 12 districts in Kandahar.