The Taliban gunmen launched their attack on Central Prison in Dera Ismail Khan of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering the restive South Waziristan agency yesterday around midnight with a series of heavy explosions before firing rocket propelled grenades and machine guns.
Adnan Rashid, a Taliban commander who was released by the militants in a jail break incident in Bannu few years back, said the operation was named "Marg-e-Nijat" and it was launched to set free six militants of Quetta and some others.
During the attack yesterday the militants killed six policemen, six Shia prisoners and two private security guards.
Security forces released a list of 252 prisoners who had gone missing after the Taliban attack on the prison. The list includes the names of 11 high-profile terrorists, Dawn News reported.
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Meanwhile, the police today re-arrested 45 prisoners who had escaped.
Security officials were quoted by the daily as saying that the re-arrested convicts had voluntarily surrendered themselves to police and that a search was still underway to apprehend as many escaped prisoners as possible.
He also claimed that a lady police constable was in their custody.
"It was part of the plan to remain in the jail premises for 20 minutes and then escape to the adjacent tribal agency South Waziristan within one hour of the attack," Rashid said.
"Eight special commandos (suicide attackers) participated in the jail break attempt who were equipped with latest night vision gadgets, and latest weaponry. In all thirteen vehicles were used in the operation and used two ways to reach the jail," the Taliban commander said.
Akbar was main accused in the attack on a Muharram procession in Dera Ismail Khan last year. Important commanders from Bajaur also escaped in the incident, sources said.