OTTAWA (AFP) — Canada will help rebuild a prison in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar following a mass jailbreak at the site by Taliban militants, the foreign ministry said.
"Canada has contributed to both infrastructure and training" at the Sarpoza Prison in Kandahar City, read a foreign ministry statement attributed to Elissa Golberg, Canada's representative in Kandahar province.
"We will continue to do so, in keeping with the Government of Canada's priorities for Afghanistan announced by (Foreign) Minister (David) Emerson," read the statement released late Friday.
On June 13 a Taliban suicide bomber detonated a bomb that destroyed the main gates of the Sarpoza Prison.
Afghan authorities said 886 prisoners fled, more than 380 of whom were Taliban. NATO's International Security Assistance Force said more than 1,100 prisoners fled, while the Taliban militia said that 400 of its own fighters escaped.
"On behalf of the government of Canada, I signed a letter on Wednesday confirming Canada's intent to rebuild the wall around Sarpoza Prison," Golberg said.
The statement added: "Reports of there being two breaches are incorrect -- there was one breach at the front of the prison, though it was of a tremendous scale."
Canada has some 2,500 soldiers stationed in the Kandahar area belonging to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). There are some 70,000 foreign troops total in Afghanistan.
Some 27 insurgents have been killed and 20 escapees recaptured during a vast manhunt launched after hundreds of prisoners escaped following a brazen Taliban attack on the facility last week.
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