Militants storm Bannu prison, free 384 prisoners

Scores of militants stormed district prison Bannu and took away 384 prisoners including an accused involved in murder attempt on former president Pervez Musharraf and seventeen other hardened militants, said jail authorities here on Sunday.
According to jail authorities, hundreds of militants armed with grenades, rocket launchers and Kalashnikovs stormed the main gate and entered the prison at 1.30 AM on Sunday. The attackers who arrived in dozens of vehicles went straight to the barrack of the prisoners condemned to death and took away 22 inmates of the barrack.
The Provincial Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussein, who is also official spokesman of the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, confirmed the escape of 384 prisoners including 20 hardened militants from Central Prison Bannu during armed militants' attack in the wee hours on Sunday.
Talking to mediapersons, he said that prisoner Adnan Rashid, allegedly involved in attack on former President Pervez Musharraf, also managed to escape during the four-hour gun battle.
He said the attackers first broke the main gate of the jail and entered the premises. The militants had also blocked the main Bannu road before storming the jail, he added.
He said only 12 prisoners did not escape and added 14 of the escaped prisoners later returned to the jail who were involved in petty nature cases.
The KP Information minister was not sure about the exact number of the militants and said they had challenged the writ of the government in Bannu.
He said that proper and thorough investigation would be conducted to expose the elements, involved in the attack.
He said strict action would be initiated against the militants to avert such incidents in the area.
Bannu city is bordering the tribal area of the Frontier Region (FR) of Bannu while the fortress like detention centre is only five minute drive from the area while the security forces are carrying operation against militants for the last eight years.
Provincial Minister for Prisons, Mian Nisar Gul Kakakhel said that the number of the attackers was about 300 to 500. The personnel of the prison security challenged the attackers, but they were short of arms and ammunitions.
He said if anyone found involved or exhibited negligence would be taken to task. He said that 150 of escaped prisoners were facing charges of terrorism.
The Superintendent, Central Jail Bannu said that the number of the attackers was about 400 to 500, who were confronted by 140 security personnel. The attack, he said, left seven prisoners and four security personnel injured, who had been rushed to hospital for treatment.
The jail officials had confirmed the return of 37 prisoners while six were arrested by Karak police.
The provincial police chief Akbar Khan Hoti and Secretary, Home and Tribal Affairs, Mohammad Azam Khan had reached Bannu.
According to Commissioner Bannu, search operation has been launched in the area while they had also contacted the political administration of the FR Bannu for initiating crackdown on the elements behind the jail attack.
Meanwhile, on the complaint of the authorities of Central Jail Bannu, the FIR of the incident of jailbreak has been registered with the police station concerned. In the FIR, the unknown militants have been charged of terrorism and detonating of explosions.