Pul-e-Charkhi Prison (Pashto/Dari: زندان پل چرخی), also known as the Afghan National Detention Facility, is a maximum security prison located next to the Ahmad Shah Baba Mina neighborhood in the eastern part of Kabul, Afghanistan. It has the capacity to house between 5,000 and 14,000 inmates, but as of February 2023 it only has between 2,000 and 2,500 inmates, most of whom have been arrested and convicted within the jurisdiction of Kabul Province. It is considered the country's largest prison. History Construction of Pul-e-Charkhi Prison began in the 1970s by order of former president Mohammed Daoud Khan and was completed during the 1980s. It became notorious for torture and executions after the 1978 Saur Revolution as well as during the 10 year Soviet war that followed. Some claim that between April 1978 and December 1979, the communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) under Nur Muhammad Taraki, executed around 27,000 political prisoners at Pul-i-Charkhi. More recently, the Afghan National Army's 111th Capital Division was based near Pul-e-Charkhi prison. Mass grave In December 2006, a communist-era mass grave, close to the Puli Charkhi prison, was discovered by the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). It is believed that the grave held some 2,000 bodies. Officials of the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture believe that the massacre took place between 1978 and 1986 when the Moscow-backed communist presidents, Nur Muhammad Taraki, Hafizullah Amin and Babrak Karmal were in power. Living conditions Living conditions of the prisoners have been criticized by several human rights groups. The prison had been cited as overcrowded and the living conditions as sub-par. There had been eight cell blocks but only three were being used which has caused overcrowding. There are also about 70 female prisoners who are housed in a special female section of the prison. Riots and escapes In December 2004, foreign prisoners attacked guards with razor blades. A subsequent shoot-out left one Iraqi, three Pakistani prisoners and four Afghan police dead. In January 2006, seven prisoners escaped by mingling with visitors. A month later, a riot was sparked by a new prison policy forcing prisoners to wear bright orange clothing, a rule enacted to avoid events similar to the January escape. The February 2006 riot resulted in six deaths and 22 injured according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. The rioters used makeshift weapons to attack guards, then ignited furniture on fire,