Gunfire heard from Afghan prison

reuters: Gunfire was heard on Tuesday from a prison on the outskirts of Kabul taken over by hundreds of inmates at the weekend, and officials said prisoners had reneged on a deal to resolve the standoff.

"They wanted to attack us; we opened fire," a police officer told Reuters by telephone from inside the Pul-i-Charkhi prison. He gave no further information and it was unclear if there had been any casualties, among the prisoners, who officials say have been led by Taliban commanders and a kidnap gang leader.

Reuters reporters heard several bursts of gunfire and saw four United Nations vehicles driving out of the jail about two minutes after the shooting. U.N. officials have been assisting mediation efforts.

"They have backed away from the agreement," Sibghatullah Mojadidi, a former president who has headed talks with the prisoners, told Reuters.

"If the talks don't give a result, then force will ultimately be used and we sent a team to pass on that message to them."

If was unclear if this had provoked the fresh unrest.

Earlier, in an agreement with authorities, inmates handed over the bodies of four prisoners killed after rioting broke out at the prison on Saturday, as well as 17 of 30 who were hurt, Deputy Justice Minister Mohammad Qasim Hashimzai said.

As part of the agreement, Hashimzai said preparations were underway to transfer more than 1,300 prisoners from two cell blocks damaged in the riot to a temporary block while repairs were carried out. Read more