Policemen among 4 dead in Jawzjan jail riot

SHIBERGHAN (Pajhwok): Three policemen and a prisoner were killed after prisoners took a prosecutor and some other security officers’ hostage inside the jail in northwestern Jawzjan province, an official said Sunday.

Brig. Gen. Dawlat Mohammad, manager of the prison, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the clash erupted when police and Afghan National Army (ANA) officers were starting searching operation in the prison following directives by the National Security Council (NSC).

The enraged inmates took hostage a prosecutor, a crime branch officer and three police officers, he said, adding that prisoners stabbed two policemen to death and burned the third one in fire.

In retaliation, police opened fire which left one prisoner dead and 10 others wounded, he added.

On the other hand, police chief Faqri Mohammad Jawzjani said the inmates wounded six policemen and set a health clinic of the prison to fire.

“We are still not able to send a delegation inside the prison to convince the inmates to stop the violence,” he said. An emergency meeting was underway in the governor’s house to solve the problem.

The injured, he said were immediately evacuated to hospital. A prisoner wishing not to be named told Pajhwok Afghan News by telephone that security forces were trying to shift them to Pul-I-Charkhi prison which led them to clash.

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