"KABUL, Afghanistan - Hundreds of inmates, some of them convicted al-Qaida and Taliban militants, used knives and clubs made from furniture to overpower guards and take control of parts of a high-security prison in Afghanistan's capital, officials said Sunday.

Local media reported several people were killed and dozens injured. But it appeared security forces had yet to gain access to parts of the jail under prisoners' control, so officials could not confirm reports of casualties. One official said at least four inmates had been injured.
The Afghan army said it had deployed 800 soldiers, some with rocket-propelled grenade launchers, to surround the Policharki Prison. With NATO peacekeepers, they parked at least 10 tanks and armored personnel carriers outside the gates.

Government officials tried to negotiate through loudspeakers with the inmates. Their demands were not known.

Mohammed Qasim Hashimzai, deputy justice minister, reported some initial progress in talks, but an Associated Press correspondent heard periodic gunfire and prisoners shouting, "God is Great!"

Inmates agreed to move 70 female prisoners from a wing under their control to a wing under official control, Hashimzai said.
The rioting started Saturday night when prisoners refused to put on new uniforms, delivered in response to a breakout last month by seven Taliban inmates disguised as visitors, Hashimzai said.

Prisoners forced guards out of a cell block housing about 1,300 inmates, said Abdul Salaam Bakshi, chief of prisons in Afghanistan. He accused al-Qaida and Taliban inmates of inciting other prisoners.

"All the problem is inside the prison," Bakshi said. "We want to peacefully solve this problem."
Bakshi said the inmates attacked guards and tried to force their way out of their prison block but were stopped. He said the inmates had small knives and clubs fashioned from wrecked furniture and set fire to bedding.

The prison holds 2,000 inmates, including some 350 al-Qaida and Taliban militants."
http://news.yahoo.com

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