NATO drones and spy planes crisscrossed the skies of Afghanistan yesterday hunting for hundreds of escaped Taliban prisoners after a daring night raid on Kandahar jail.

A state of emergency was declared in the city as it became clear that more than 1,100 prisoners had escaped. Residents were ordered to stay in their homes.

Up to 400 Taliban war veterans are thought to have fled after a suicide bomber with two tons of explosive on his truck smashed into the main gate.

Moments later a second suicide bomber, on foot, detonated his vest against the back of the compound, tearing another gaping hole in the wall allowing inmates to scramble to freedom.

Teams of armed Taliban, many arriving on motorbikes, stormed into the ruins, gunning down the guards, and racing to pull their fellow insurgents from the rubble.

At the same time militants bombarded the compound with machinegun fire and rocket propelled grenades, causing the floor of one of the wings to collapse. The insurgents claimed that 30 armed men on motorbikes took part in the assault.

One eyewitness said the force of the main blast was strong enough to blow out the windows of houses more than a mile and a half from the prison.

Within hours of the attack many of the escaping Taliban were reported to have reached Taliban-controlled areas, including parts of Helmand province, where they can resume their fight against British soldiers.

At least a dozen former prisoners crossed into Pakistan through the town of Chaman yesterday where the border was left completely unguarded. According to tribal elders they were travelling to villages notorious for their involvement with the Taliban and the drugs trade.

The brother of Afghan president Hamid Karzai, Ahmed Wali Karzai, the head of Kandahar’s provincial council said: “Everyone escaped. There is no one left.”

The Taliban claimed the first bomb consisted of almost two tons of homemade explosives. The prison governor, Abdul Qadir, said: “They used a truck to blow the gate open and all of the guards have been killed and are buried under rubble.” He is now under investigation to see if the insurgents had any help from insiders.

At least nine prison guards were killed and 12 more injured but the authorities are facing a far bigger headache with the hundreds of Taliban on the run. Most were foot soldiers from across southern Afghanistan, hardened by years of fighting in the insurgency.

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