Riots have recommenced in Poldicharki Prison in Kabul after a 24-hour pause in the violence. Inmates tried to break down the main gate at the prison and were fired upon by police according to eyewitness accounts. At least one inmate has died and three more were wounded in the renewed violence.
The fighting started again after negotiations between authorities and the prisoners broke down early Tuesday.
'The prisoners have tried to break down the door to their block and the police opened fire,' police commander Abdul Halik told the Associated Press.
The violence started after prisoners started to protest their living conditions. Poldicharki Prison is notorious for its dirty and overcrowded conditions.
Authorities tried to get the inmates to move to a different block of the prison but a spokesman for the inmates who identified himself only as Maqsodi, said that conditions in the newly suggested wing were just as deplorable as they were in the present wing.
Police have blamed al-Qaeda and Taliban prisoners for starting the riots. They estimate the number of prisoners associated with the two groups as being at approximately 350.
During the lull in the fighting Monday, negotiations were started between authorities and the prisoners. Food and water were brought into the compound. At that time, four prisoners were declared dead and 38 wounded. Those that were seriously injured were taken to local hospitals.
Tanks had surrounded the prison prior to the temporary ceasefire which broke down on Tuesday.
Authorities are hoping they can get the violence under control shortly.
