8 killed in prison riot in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan

Eight inmates were killed during riots inside a prison in Afghanistan's Herat province officials confirmed Thursday.

Spokesman for the public health directorate in Herat, Mohammad Rafiq, told Anadolu Agency that the bodies of the prisoners were taken to the public hospital from the central prison after clashes erupted late last Wednesday. He said eight other prisoners and four policemen sustained injuries.

The provincial administration said inmates staged protests and clashed with police during inspection of cells by security forces. Herat governor’s spokesman Jailani Farhad said inmates set a section of the prison on fire.

The prison in Herat, which borders Iran, is considered among the largest detention facilities in the war-ravaged country housing more than 2,000 inmates.