Iraqi authorities foil jailbreak north of Baghdad; 1 killed

BAGHDAD

Iraqi authorities foiled a jailbreak north of the capital Baghdad on Saturday, according to the country’s defense ministry.

A ministry statement said a “terrorist” was shot dead by police forces when three prisoners attempted to escape from al-Taji prison.

The two other inmates surrendered to security forces, the statement said.

The three prisoners are serving a life sentence in the prison.

An investigation was launched into the jailbreak. No details were provided about the charges against the three or the group they belong to.

Iraqi authorities usually use the term “terrorist” to refer to Daesh/ISIS and Al-Qaeda members.

Al-Taji prison is estimated to house 8,000 prisoners, most of whom are convicted of terrorism-related crimes.

Incidents of inmates escaping from Iraqi prisons are common, the most recent being in May when 21 prisoners escaped from a jail in Al-Hilal district in the southern Al-Muthanna province.

* Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar