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Afghan army, NATO redeploy forces to respond to jailbreak threat
Kabul (AFP) June 16, 2008 Afghan and NATO troops have redeployed into the southern Afghan province of Kandahar to respond to a "potential threat" from hundreds of Taliban who recently escaped from jail, the forces said Monday. Afghan defence ministry spokesman Mohammad Zahir Azimi told a news conference in Kabul that "several" Afghan army units were dispatched to Kandahar to hunt the escaped rebels and respond to any threat they may pose. "The main point is across all the security situation down there we're aware of a potential threat and we are anticipating. The Afghans send their forces... to Kandahar (and) we're also redeploying our forces to meet any potential threat," NATO civilian spokesman Mark Laity told the same news conference. "It's fair to say that the jailbreak put lots of people into circulation that weren't before. Obviously you're gonna respond to that potential threat," Laity added. Afghan and international troops have been searching for more than 1,100 escapees who fled after the Taliban blasted open the jail in the southern city of Kandahar late on Friday, killing several prison guards. The Taliban have stepped up an insurgency against President Hamid Karzai's US-backed government since being ousted from power in late 2001, resulting in the loss of thousands of lives. The jailbreak came as a blow to the president, coming one day after world donors pledged 20 billion dollars to rebuild Afghanistan at a conference in Paris but also called on him to strengthen the rule of law. The Taliban militia said that 400 of its own fighters had escaped in the spectacular attack, which they said had been planned for more than two months. Afghan authorities put the number of prisoners who fled at 886, more than 380 of whom were Taliban. NATO's International Security Assistance Force said more than 1,100 prisoners had escaped. Afghan deputy justice minister Mohammad Qasim Hashimzai described the attack as the most sophisticated yet by the militants. Despite the presence of about 70,000 international troops mainly operating under NATO, the insurgency aimed at toppling the US-backed government in Kabul has gained pace in the past two years and the Taliban have launched some of their most sophisticated raids in recent months. In January several militants wearing suicide vests raided a five-star hotel in the capital Kabul, killing eight people including three foreigners. And on April 27, Taliban gunmen opened fire on a military parade attended by Karzai, missing the president but killing three other people including an MP. Related Links News From Across The Stans
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