The Taliban broke into the Kandahar central jail and released hundreds of incarcerated prisoners on Wednesday.
Afghan media outlets quoted Taliban spokesperson Qari Yousaf Ahmadi to confirm that the group had managed to "conquer" the Kandahar jail, after a long siege, following which the personnel surrendered and all the prisoners were released.
The Afghan government had relocated more than 3,000 Taliban fighters from the Kandahar jail in recent weeks, but the prison complex still housed hundreds of prisoners, including Taliban fighters, at the time it was taken over on Wednesday.
In a rapidly escalating situation, the Taliban have taken control of at least nine provincial capitals in Afghanistan, as part of its offensive against President Ashraf Ghani's administration.
Also watch: Afghanistan: three more provincial capitals fall to Taliban