BAGHDAD (AP) — Prisoners seized weapons and clashed with security guards in an hourslong standoff that killed 12 people, including 10 guards, and allowed dozens of al-Qaida-linked inmates to escape before ending Friday in Saddam Hussein's hometown, Iraqi officials said.
The security breach drew sharp criticism of Iraqi security forces, which have been unable to stabilize the country almost a year after U.S. troops withdrew. Officials said that reinforcements had to be sent from Baghdad to help put down the riot and prisoners burned all the prison records, complicating efforts to track down those still on the run.
The riot erupted on Thursday night when several inmates at the Tasfirat prison in Tikrit, 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Baghdad, broke into a storage room, grabbed weapons being kept there and overpowered the guards, according to a spokesman for Salahuddin province where the city is located. Read More
