About 870 prisoners escaped from the main prison in southern Afghanistan after a Taliban bomb and rocket attack knocked the main gate off the prison.

Authorities said 390 Taliban prisoners were among those who fled the prison during the attack late Friday.

"We admit it," Brig. Gen. Carlos Branco said. "Their guys did the job properly in that sense, but it does not have a strategic impact. We should not draw any conclusion about the deterioration of the military operations in the area. We should not draw any conclusion about the strength of the Taliban."

The complex attack included a truck bombing at the main gate, a suicide bomber who struck a back wall and rockets fired from inside the prison courtyard, setting off a series of explosions that rattled Kandahar, the country's second biggest city.