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A plainclothes police officer takes a photo of the damaged prison gate Ishtiaq Mahsud/AP/Press Association Images

Hundreds of prisoners, including "hardcore militants" escape from Pakistan jail

The prison was attacked with mortars and grenades in an overnight attack by Taliban fighters.

TALIBAN INSURGENTS FREED hundreds of prisoners – including hardline militants – in a brazen assault on a jail in northwest Pakistan that was bombarded with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, officials have said.

At least 13 people including six police, four prisoners and two attackers were killed in the overnight assault which triggered a three-hour gun battle between security forces and militants disguised in police uniforms, they said.

“A total of 243 prisoners have escaped, six of them were later arrested by police,” senior government official Mushtaq Jadoon told private TV channel ARY News, adding that “30 among the escaped prisoners were hardcore militants”.

The attack targeted the Central Prison in Dera Ismail Khan, a city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, close to the lawless tribal regions bordering Afghanistan where Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked insurgents are active.

A security official said the jail held up to 5,000 prisoners including around 300 militants involved in attacks on security forces and sectarian killings.

Jadoon said the fighters had planted dozens of explosive devices in the jail which were later defused by bomb disposal experts.

“Police and other law enforcing agencies have cleared the jail,” he said, adding authorities had imposed a curfew on the city and asked residents to stay at home.

“Through media, we appeal to the people to stay at home. It is to avoid any damage if army, police and paramilitary take any action,” he added.

Militants

Jadoon said around 50 to 60 militants managed to enter the jail as others fired rockets from outside.

“First they destroyed a police armoured vehicle parked at the front gate,” he said, adding that two policemen were killed in the initial rocket attack.

Jadoon said that one attacker was shot as he tried to run away.

“Police killed one militant who was trying to flee and who opened fire on police near the jail,” he said.

New leadership

In a reminder of the enormous security challenges facing Pakistan, the violence broke out just hours before the nation’s lawmakers began voting for the country’s new president.

The new head of state will replace outgoing President Asif Ali Zardari, who is ending a five-year term. His party lost May’s general elections and his successor is likely to be Mamnoon Hussain, a close ally of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the jail attack.

Washington considers the border tribal areas a major hub of Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants plotting attacks on the West and in Afghanistan.

Read: Israel and Palestine to resume talks in Washington today >

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    Mute Niall Carson
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    Jun 8th 2013, 1:17 PM

    Where is the rest of the story? Is that it? There was more information in the
    Sub heading than in the few paragraphs below.

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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Jun 8th 2013, 1:21 PM

    Hi Niall,
    If you click on the slideshow, each slide has a caption that explains a different point. Can you see the slideshow?
    If not, let us know what device you are viewing it on. It’s working on desktop and I’ve just checked it on iOs
    and Android and it seems fine there too?

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    Mute Niall Carson
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    Jun 8th 2013, 4:45 PM

    I’m still getting used to this new media way of viewing information! Sorry guys thanks

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    Mute vv7k7Z3c
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    Jun 10th 2013, 9:45 AM

    No problem!

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    Mute OU812
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    Jun 8th 2013, 12:29 PM

    Ummm… What’s it got to do with the Internet? It’s about a pirate TV channel. These were pretty common place all across the US in the 70s & 80s.

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    Mute Simon Jester
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    Jun 8th 2013, 12:37 PM

    It was an absolute SHITE film then and now!! [
    Apart from Debbie Harry that is]. Its one of those films you can take whatever meanings you want to out of it or none at all.I took from it that whoever wrote it was on drugs when he wrote the script.

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    Mute Kal Ipers
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    Jun 8th 2013, 1:57 PM

    Very weak connections considering the movie focuses on the cathode ray tube being mystical. The addiction and effects are based on a scientist experimental beams.
    Not exactly predictions to anything.

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    Mute Dessie Edmunds
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    Jun 8th 2013, 2:44 PM

    Scanners. Cronebergs masterpiece. Eastern Promises underated too

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    Mute Pat Murphy
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    Jun 8th 2013, 4:54 PM

    cronenberg is a body horror master, crash, the fly, rabid, scanners etc,etc.
    I have loved his recent progression to more drama like material like eastern promise, history of violence & a dangerous method. didn’t like cosmopolis

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    Mute Pat Murphy
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    Jun 8th 2013, 4:55 PM

    history of violence was fantastic too!

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    Mute Kevin Cooney
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    Jun 8th 2013, 1:32 PM

    Debbie Harry yes yes and yes! The movie was terrible.

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    Mute Christian Carley
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    Jun 8th 2013, 5:34 PM

    Long live the new flesh!

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    Mute Declan Carr
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    Jun 8th 2013, 1:24 PM

    Might be a Sh1t movie but a hell of a lot better then any Iris made Movie. and I wonder where internet comes into play it this story.
    I will read over it and over it never know it might be in there somewhere in hidden files.

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    Mute Michelle Philpot
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    Jun 8th 2013, 1:46 PM

    Better than The Snapper? To name but one!

    It’s medication time Declan, open wide and swallow.

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    Mute Tony Le Blanc
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    Jun 8th 2013, 3:17 PM

    I think you’ll find Michelle he said ‘Iris made’ One can only assume he was referring to East German filmmaker Iris Gusner

    Furthermore: could we all stop talking about the Snapper please? Yes, its just about better than Videodrome but then a documentary about whale sh*te would be too.

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    Mute Michelle Philpot
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    Jun 8th 2013, 3:41 PM

    Tony la plonk

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    Mute Pat Murphy
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    Jun 8th 2013, 4:50 PM

    declan, exactly what is your problem with Irish movies????
    you have yet to give any reasons, so stop trolling!!!

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    Mute Tony Le Blanc
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    Jun 8th 2013, 9:44 PM

    @ Michelle: snappy comeback

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    Mute Brant Blog
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    Jun 8th 2013, 7:09 PM

    There’s hardly any link between Videodrome and the internet.

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    Mute Brendan McCormack
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    Jun 8th 2013, 4:02 PM

    Brian O’Blivion. That about says it all. I expect the author of this wrote it while watching porn with his free hand.

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