A district governor in Nangarhar, who has spent four years in Guantanamo Bay on charges of links with the Taliban, led an operation against a group of four Daesh attackers who planned an assault on the city of Jalalabad and its airport as other members of the group stormed a jail in the eastern part of town, local officials said.
The officials said that simultaneously with the attack on Jalalabad prison, Daesh attackers were hiding at a residential building in Behsud district – four kilometers from Jalalabad city and its airport – to shell the city from there. The officials said 440 rounds of mortar shells were about to be used by Daesh fighters on Jalalabad city and airport from Behsud district. The mortar rounds were shown to media by local officials on Tuesday.
“The attack was very complicated. It was a chain attack and was part of the prison attack so that involved attacking Jalalabad and its airport,” said Waisuddin, an army officer.
“I know about their activities,” said Ghalib Mujahid, the district governor for Behsud district who led the operation. “For instance, if they go to Kunar or Achin…”
The attack on the prison was conducted by 11 Daesh fighters. It started with a car bomb explosion at around 7 pm Kabul time on Sunday and continued for almost 20 hours. The attack left 27 civilians and two security force members dead. At least 50 others were wounded, officials said.
According to the Defense Ministry, five prisoners were also killed. Local officials said the attackers destroyed a wall of the prison and tried to escape.
“Daesh and Taliban (member) and those who were accused of kidnapping--big crimes, some of them were sentenced to death and some of those who were sentenced to long-term jail have succeeded to escape,” said Nasir Kamawal, member of Nangarhar Provincial Council.
“The government and the Taliban are focusing on talks. Daesh is showing its power,” said Zabihullah Zmarai, a former member of Nangarhar Provincial Council.
Daesh on Tuesday posted a photo of 11 attackers and claimed that three of them were Indian nationals, four Tajikistan nationals, and that one Pakistani and three Afghans were involved in the attack.