A day after almost 500 inmates--many of them Taliban fighters--escaped from a Kandahar prison through a tunnel built by the Taliban, Afghan President Hamid Karzai's office issued a statement noting signs of "cooperation and facilitation from inside," according to the AFP, adding an additional layer of intrigue to a tale that already seems ripped from TV. Mohammad Abdullah, who claimed he helped organize the escape from within the prison, told the AP yesterday that he had received copies of cell keys from "friends," without defining who those friends were. Afghan authorities have so far recaptured 65 prisoners in their massive manhunt, according to CNN.

While many analysts are characterizing the prison break as a blow to U.S. efforts in Afghanistan, international forces did announce a military victory today: Abu Hafs al-Najdi, NATO's second most wanted Al-Qaeda fighter in the country, was killed in an airstrike along the border with Pakistan earlier this month. International forces won't share the identity of NATO's most wanted militant in Afghanistan, Al Jazeera explains, but alliance commanders have said in the past that there are only 50 to 100 Al-Qaeda fighters still active in Afghanistan.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at ufriedman at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Uri Friedman