Top Daesh leader arrested in Kunar raid

The Afghan Special Forces have arrested a key commander of the Daesh militant group in Afghanistan.

The Defense Ministry said in a statement the ISIS-K leader was arrested during a raid in eastern Kunar province on Tuesday night.

The Daesh commander was identified as Mohammad Saeed son of Mohammad Afzal, who was involved in transferring foreign ISIS insurgents along with their families in the country.

“He (Mohammad Saeed) was one of the masterminds of the recent attack in Nangarhar,” the statement said.

The Daesh said that 11 of its fighters – four Tajiks, three Indians, three Afghans and a Pakistani – stormed Nangarhar prison at around 6:30 Sunday evening killed at least 30 people and wounded 50 more.

The attack began after an Indian doctor, Ijas Kallukettiya Purayil, detonated an explosive-loaded vehicle at the entrance gate of the jail.

During the attack which lasted for over 18 hours, hundreds of the 1,700 prisoners in the Jalalabad facility escaped. 

On Tuesday, an Afghan MP confirmed as many as 800 Daesh prisoners were still on the run. 

Abdul Karim Karimi, a Member of Parliament, said: “1,700 prisoners were inside the jail during the attack, they all attempted to escape. Out of which, 500 of them failed to escape, whereas 800 more prisoners including Daesh, Taliban, and criminals fled.”

According to officials, prisoners being held in that particular jail were political prisoners and criminals. Among them were Taliban and Daesh militants.