An explosion apparently carried out by militants enabled 20 inmates to escape from a prison in Farah province west of Afghanistan on Sunday, police said, Xinhua reported.
"The explosion occurred at 03:00 a.m. local time next to the main jail of Farah province facilitated 20 detainees to escape," the regional police chief in west Afghanistan Ikramudin Yawar told Xinhua.
He also said that police have so far arrested eight of them while search for the remaining 12 is going on.
Investigation has been initiated to determine whether the inmates were Taliban militants or criminal elements.
However, he did not blame any particularly groups or individuals for organizing the attack on prison.
Taliban militants had organized such attacks on jail in Kandahar province last year enabling their comrades to flee.
The Afghan and NATO-led troops has not made comment yet.