Taliban gunmen attacked a prison in Pakistan's northwest city of Dera Ismail Khan Monday night, killing 12 people and injuring 16 others. More than 250 inmates escaped, said local officials.
Around one hundred Taliban militants disguised as policemen entered the prison premises after knocking down the outer prison wall with hand grenades. After hours of fighting with the prison guards, the militants were successful in releasing hundreds of prisoners including top thirty militants.
"It was a heavily guarded jail and considered one of the most protected prisons in the province," said a senior government official in Peshawar, according to Reuters.
"We will investigate how the militants managed to come from the distant tribal areas and break into the jail and take away their people," said the government official.
The attack comes at a time when the Pakistani lawmakers are voting to elect the country's new president.
As President Asif Ali Zardari's five-year term expires, Mamnoon Hussain, a textile businessman and a close associate of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, is expected to become the next president, according to sources.
A president in Pakistan is elected by the two-house federal parliament and four provincial assemblies and not by the public.
The attack is likely to raise serious questions about the security of prisons in the country.
Soon after the attack, militants told Reuters that they succeeded in entering the prison with some help from supporters from the security services.
A preliminary investigation has revealed that the number of security guards on duty was lesser than the required strength. The inquiry also found that the guards on duty were not properly armed and did not have sufficient ammunition.
