Iraq jail break leaves 13 dead
Friday, 26 December 2008 15:23A local al-Qaeda chief has escaped custody in a pre-dawn breakout from an Iraqi police station.
The jail break triggered a shootout that left 13 people dead.
Imad Ahmed Farhan, who police say has admitted to murdering at least 100 people, is on the run with two other local militants who broke out in the western city of Ramadi.
During an exchange of fire between prisoners trying to escape and police officers in the station, six policemen and seven prisoners were killed.
The three prisoners managed to flee but one was recaptured.
Ramadi police have imposed a curfew in the city following the incident, an interior ministry source said.
The source said a prisoner wanting to go to the toilet was escorted from his cell by a policeman at 2am, kicking off what appeared to be a well-planned operation.
The prisoners battled police for two hours before officers managed to regain control of the station, a local police official said.
