Four Arabs flee Us jail in Bagram, Afghanistan

Four Arab prisoners escaped as the first detainees ever to break out from the US jail at the main US military base in Afghanistan on Monday. The US forces started a large-scale operation to catch the four Arabs identified as Abdullah Hashimi from Syria, Mehmood Ahmed Mohammed from Kuwait, Mehmood Alfathani from Saudi Arabia and Mohammed Hassan from Libya. Currently, about 500 prisoners are held in Bagram including an unknown number of foreigners. Many have been detained in Bagram since the US-led invasion started in Afghanistan in late 2001 to overthrow the Taliban. The jail, which is a former Soviet air base, is guarded by hundreds of troops and has high concrete walls, razor wire fences and searchlights. It has two main gates, the first manned by Afghan soldiers and the second by US forces. The incident was was reported as, "The first time that anyone had escaped from the military jail". A US military statement said the "extensive" search began shortly after the report that the prisoners were missing on Monday morning. Also, 76 Afghan prisoners were released Saturday from Bagram as part of ongoing efforts to promote national reconciliation.

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