A
member of the Iraqi Interior Ministry’s anti-terrorism forces stands
guard on a vehicle outside the Habaniyah military base, near Anbar
province’s capital Ramadi, on Friday. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images)
By Hugh Naylor and Mustafa Salim-May 9
BAGHDAD — At
least 40 inmates, including prisoners with suspected links to the
Islamic State, escaped a prison in eastern Iraq early Saturday after
overpowering guards, Iraqi officials said.
Dozens of inmates and at least six guards were killed in the incident,
which took place at the Khalis prison in Diyala province. In January,
pro-government forces took control of the province from the Islamic
State as part of a military offensive to win back the vast territory in
Iraq that the extremist group seized last June.
In a sign of the chaos that continues to plague areas that have fallen
under government control, officials gave conflicting reports of the
number of people killed. Citing unnamed prison and police officials, the
Reuters news agency reported that 50 inmates and 12 guards were killed.
But Saad Maan, an Interior Ministry spokesman, said by telephone that 30
prisoners and six guards were confirmed dead in the incident, which
started when an inmate seized an unspecified weapon from a guard and
went on a shooting spree.
“Forty people escaped, and nine are Daesh members,” he said, using the Arabic name for the Islamic State.
Hakim al-Zamili, head of parliament’s security committee, said 80
inmates with terrorism charges managed to escape. At least 30 inmates
and six guards were killed, he said, describing the incident as a “major
security lapse.”
Diyala, a province that is home to Sunnis and Shiites, is under the
control of pro-government Shiite militias, which played a significant
role in driving out Islamic State militants from the area. The presence
of the militias has caused tensions to soar, especially among Sunni
residents, who accuse the groups of carrying out sectarian-motivated
attacks and killings.
Raad al-Dahlaki, a Sunni lawmaker from Diyala, accused the Shiite
militias of playing a role in the prison break and called for a
government investigation.
Last month, Kitaeb Hezbollah, a Shiite militia, announced in a statement
that it broke into a police prison in northern Baghdad and freed five
of the group’s members.
“The prison had several prominent members from the militias who appear
to have escaped, and so it seems that these militias played a role in
the escape,” Dahlaki said. “The prison is in the center of the city, and
it’s completely surrounded and protected by the militias, so it’s not
like this could have happened easily.”
Prison breaks occur regularly in Iraq. The most notorious one was at the
Abu Ghraib prison in 2013, during which 500 inmates were freed in an
attack by militants from the Islamic State of Iraq, the precursor to the
Islamic State.
In Baghdad, meanwhile, a large car bomb exploded Saturday in the Karrada
district, killing at least eight people and wounding about 30,
according to Interior Ministry officials.
The capital has experienced a recent uptick in bombings that are suspected to be the work of the Islamic State.
Saturday’s attack appeared to target Shiite pilgrims who were
commemorating Imam Musa al-Kadhim, a religious figure who lived during
the 8th century. Expected to last until Friday, the observance involves
thousands of Shiites who walk to Kadhim’s shrine, which is north of the
capital.
Bracing for an increase of attacks on the pilgrims, authorities are stepping up security measures in the capital.
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