At least five prisoners were killed and three guards were injured in a riot at a penal colony in Tajikistan, sparked by an escape attempt. The incident took place in a prison in the city of Vahdat, located about 20 km east of the capital Dushanbe, reports "Reuters", citing the country's Ministry of Justice, quoted by News.bg.
Nine prisoners armed with homemade knives tried to escape and kill the guards.
According to information from the ministry, as a result of the attack three employees were seriously injured, they are in stable condition, and the prison warden was taken to hospital in critical condition. Videos posted on Telegram show the dead prisoners lying in pools of blood. One of them was wearing a hat bearing the Islamic State flag.
Analyst Andrei Serenko said ISIS supporters attempted to escape and temporarily raised the group's flag over the prison. No group has claimed responsibility for the riot.
A criminal investigation has been launched into the incident, and Tajik authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack. This is not an isolated incident, with 29 prisoners and three guards killed in a similar prison riot in 2019, and 21 prisoners and two guards killed in 2018.