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Prisoner: Armed inmates roaming freeU.S. service member killed in southern Afghanistan
(CNN) -- Prisoners armed with chains and knives are roaming Afghanistan's highest-security prison after negotiations to quell the uprising broke down, an American prisoner taken hostage by his fellow inmates has said. "They're afraid that the police are going to storm in and kill more people," said Edward Caraballo, speaking on a cell phone from inside the prison on Tuesday. It was not clear how Caraballo obtained the phone. He is one of three Americans being held at Policharki Prison and has been there since he was convicted two years ago of torturing Afghans in a private jail. Talks to end the standoff deteriorated about 6 p.m. (8:30 a.m. ET) Tuesday when inmates tried to break out of one of the cell blocks they have controlled since Saturday, Afghan army officers said. Police opened fire on the prisoners, killing one and wounding three others. At least five inmates have been killed since the uprising began. "The gates are all open, the prisoners are all walking around, heavily armed with chains and knives," Caraballo said, adding that he had been taken hostage because he is American but believe he will be spared from harm because he is Muslim. "They've said, 'It's nothing personal. We know you are a brother, but we want to talk to the American ambassador,' " Caraballo said. "The prisoners just want to get their message across, and they've asked me to do that for them." One of their messages is that prisoners have asked Afghan forces to refrain from storming the prison again, Caraballo said. A day after the uprising broke out, more than 1,000 Afghan police and soldiers surrounded the prison, and shots were heard inside the facility Sunday. (Full story) The inmates chanted slogans such as "God is Great," "Death to America" and "Down with Karzai," a reference to Afghan President Hamid Karzai. 'Worried sick'The riot erupted when jail officials handed out uniforms to the prisoners, an effort to thwart escapes like the one perpetrated by seven Taliban prisoners last month, Deputy Justice Minister Mohammed Qasim Hashimzai said. Previously, prisoners did not have specific uniforms. Three areas of the jail are included in the uprising: the women's block, which houses about 500; the political prisoners' area, which contains about 900; and the criminal block, where about 700 prisoners reside. Caraballo and two other Americans have been held in a separate area of Policharki with access to satellite television and the Internet. Caraballo is serving a two-year sentence after he and the other Americans, including a former Green Beret, were convicted in 2004 of torturing Afghans in a private jail. The men denied the charges and said they were operating with the approval of the Afghan and U.S. governments, claims those governments have denied. While Afghan and U.S. Embassy officials won't comment, U.S. Embassy officials have been shuttling back and forth to the prison for two days, apparently in an effort to negotiate Caraballo's release, Afghan officials have said. Caraballo said he only has four months left to serve on his prison term. "I'm worried sick," his brother, Richard, told CNN. He's the perfect brother." Richard Caraballo claims his brother went to Afghanistan to make a documentary about the war on terror. Policharki is the most notorious of the prisons operated by the Afghan government. The crumbling, Soviet-built desert complex features anti-aircraft guns mounted on turrets facing the prison grounds. When the Soviets held opponents of the regime there, torture and executions were commonplace. About 70,000 bodies are believed to be buried around the prison in unmarked mass graves. In August 2004, a United Nations inspection determined that conditions at Policharki "violate every standard of human rights." In December 2004, a number of al Qaeda prisoners -- three Pakistanis and an Iraqi -- attempted to escape after killing a guard with razor blades and acquiring weapons. The would-be escapees and four others died in a 12-hour gunbattle that ensued. A modern, high-security wing for major drug traffickers is being built at Policharki with international money and is slated to be operational in six months. American killedU.S. service member was killed and two others wounded Tuesday during counterinsurgency operations near Tarin Kowt in Uruzgan province, south-central Afghanistan, the U.S. military said. The military statement said the wounded troops were in stable condition. In the fighting, a roadside bomb damaged a military vehicle. A gunbattle followed, and U.S.-led forces detained seven suspected Taliban fighters. Since the Afghanistan war began in October 2001, 273 U.S. troops there have been killed. Sixty-five personnel from allied countries have died in the conflict, which toppled the Taliban-led government that gave haven to al Qaeda before the attacks of September 11, 2001. On February 13, a roadside bomb killed four U.S. troops, also in Uruzgan province. 
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