Dozens killed after Iraq prison break

Dozens of prisoners have been killed during a jail break in eastern Iraq, in which 40 inmates managed to escape, officials have said.
Police officials said on Saturday that at least 50 inmates and 12 police officers were killed at the Al-Khalis prison during a riot.
Iraqi military official Brigadier General SaadMaan said a fight broke out among the inmates of the Khalis prison in Diyala province and when guards went to investigate, they were overpowered and had their weapons taken.
He said security forces were cordoning off the area and hunting for the escaped inmates, some of who were wanted on terrorism charges.
Jailbreaks are common in Iraq and usually a result of assaults from militants seeking to free their comrades in prison.
The most stunning one was in mid-2013, when Iraq’s infamous Abu Ghraib prison was attacked with mortar shells and suicide bombers, freeing more than 500 inmates.
The violence happened as a series of suicide attacks targeting Shia places of worship also in Diyala province killed at least 22 people.