Scores of inmates escaped from prison in Kandahar, south of Afghanistan early Monday, an official said.

The chief of Kandahar jail Ghulam Dastgir Ayaz in talks with Xinhua confirmed that scores of inmates made their good escape from Kandahar prison in the wee hours of Monday.

He also admitted that the prisoners made their escape after digging a hole.

Meantime, deputy to Kandahar provincial police chief Shir Shah Yusufzai told Xinhua that so far eight escaped prisoners had been re-arrested.

Qari Yusuf Ahmadi, who claims to speak for the Taliban outfit stressed that over 500 Taliban detainees have escaped from the Kandahar jail.

In talks with media via telephone from undisclosed location, the Taliban purported spokesman said that militants after digging a 360-meter long tunnel enabled 541 militants including 106 commanders to escape.

He also claimed the work of digging the tunnel began five months ago and finally enabled militants to escape.

Kandahar, the former stronghold of Taliban is the second major base of NATO and U.S. troops after Bagram, in Afghanistan.