Key Highlights
Taliban fighters on Monday 14th September 2015 stormed a prison in the central Afghan city of Ghazni, killing police officers and releasing hundreds of prisoners.
Six Taliban insurgents wearing military uniforms attacked Ghazni prison in the wee hours of Monday. First they detonated a car bomb in front of the gate, fired an RPG and then raided the prison, freeing all the Taliban inmates from the prison. 355 inmates escaped. Most were charged with crimes against national security and other criminal offences.
Four police guards were killed and seven others were wounded during the fiery exchange that lasted for hours. Three Taliban fighters were also killed in the battle.
Summary
Though the Afghanistan based Taliban is facing wrangles stemming from leadership disputes, the terror group happens to be stepping up for offensives against the United States and the US backed Afghan government.
There is a simmering leadership succession dispute after the confirmation of the death of longtime chief Mullah Omar with a big section of Taliban adherents unsatisfied with the taking over of the leadership mantle by Mullah Akhtar Mansoor.
However the September 2015 jailbreak has been analyzed as to strengthen the terror group with the over 400 freed Taliban fighters being deployed immediately to Taliban controlled areas in Afghanistan.
Also in 2011, almost 500 Taliban fighters and commanders escaped from a prison in an audacious jailbreak in Kandahar province.
The same year on September 14, Taliban fighters fired rockets at the U.S. Embassy and NATO headquarters in Kabul the biggest assault the insurgent group had ever mounted on the Afghan capital.
Recent intelligence summaries indicated a strengthened Taliban-Al Qaeda allegiance after Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri pledged his full support for the Taliban.
