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Up to 24 people including three attackers were killed as fighting for the control of Jalalabad prison in the eastern Nangarhar province has been continuing since Sunday evening, a provincial government spokesman said Monday.
The victims, according to the official, include three assailants and 21 others including civilians, jail guards and security personnel.
About four dozen others sustained injuries, the official added.
The clash erupted at around 06:30 p.m. local time Sunday evening when a militant detonated his explosive-laden car next to the front gate of the Jalalabad prison enabling others to get positions at nearby buildings and began firing on jail authorities.
It is a complex attack, according to locals, as no one knows the number of attackers who have accordingly taken positions inside the prison and some buildings around. The number of attackers, according to locals, could be more than two dozens and were able to continue fighting over the past 15 hours.
Taliban has rejected its involvement in the bloody offensive.
The Islamic State (IS) group has reportedly claimed responsibility.
More than 1,500 prisoners, including 300 IS militants, have reportedly been languishing at the jail in Jalalabad city, 120 km east of Kabul.
