15 guards killed in Afghan prison raid

KANDAHAR, June 14: At least 15 security guards were killed during a Taliban attack on a prison in southern Afghanistan that freed hundreds of militant inmates, a senior local lawmaker said Saturday.

"We've discovered the bodies of 15 security guards who were killed in the attack. The casualties might be more," Ahmad Wali Karzai, the head of Kandahar provincial council and brother of President Hamid Karzai told foreign news agency.

He said "several hundred prisoners including Taliban" escaped in Friday's attack on the main prison in Kandahar, without being able to give a precise figure.

Abdul Qasim Hashimzai, the deputy justice minister, earlier said that most of the 1,000 inmates including several hundred Taliban prisoners had escaped.

The minister said a massive hunt was underway in Kandahar and areas around the troubled city.