Al Qaeda Suspects Loose After Jailbreak

(AP)  Four suspected al Qaeda in Iraq insurgents broke out of jail during a riot Friday that killed six police officers and seven prisoners in the western city of Ramadi, police said.

Maj. Gen. Tariq Yousif, the police chief of Anbar province, of which Ramadi is the capital, said four prisoners escaped from the city's al-Forsan police station. The U.S. military said it had the same numbers for killed and wounded but said only three escaped.

According to Yousif, the incident started when a prisoner held in a cell with 11 others asked a guard to allow him to go to the bathroom. When the guard opened the cell door, the prisoners pulled him in, grabbed his assault rifle and killed him, then attacked other police.

Some of the detainees managed to escape in the ensuing riot.

The police chief said the prisoners were all suspected insurgents of the group al Qaeda in Iraq. A curfew was imposed in the city, 70 miles west of Baghdad as police searched for the escapees. No other details were immediately available.

Iraq's government took over security for Anbar province from the U.S. military in September. Iraq now controls security in 13 of Iraq's 18 provinces.

Anbar is the largest Iraqi province, stretching from the western gates of Baghdad to the borders of Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. It was once the center stage in the Sunni insurgency, which broke out soon after the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 toppled Saddam Hussein's Sunni-dominated regime.

In late 2006, however, Sunni tribes turned against al Qaeda in Iraq because of its brutal tactics, including mass killings of Shiite civilians and its attempt to impose strict Islamic rule. The tribes joined with U.S. forces to push al Qaeda out of the province, and now Anbar is considered one of the quieter parts of the country.

The majority of the U.S. Marine Corps's 22,000 troops in Iraq are based in Anbar.

[lady54-2009]

"Al Qaeda Suspects Loose After Jailbreak"

It should be easy to find them. Just look for four guys with towels on their heads who don''t like Americans.

[goosfraba2]

To: brannigon at 10:49 PM : Dec 26, 2008

He/they won''t be sent to hell. They, being Muslims, will go to "heaven" and be given 72 virgins. Both rewards are fine examples of religious nonsense.

[nikkicatt1]

Why did the guard open the door while holding an assault rifle? Shouldn''t there have been 2 guards for such dangerous criminals? One (unarmed) to open the door and one (armed) to control the situation? Maybe the Iraqi police need a little more training.
My condolences to the officers families and other prisoners families.

[brannigon]

Hope they find him and shoot him on sight and send that animal straight to hell where he belongs!

[wl7bzh]

All those virgins waiting on martyrs in heaven-Did it ever occur to anyone that in a heaven with sexuality that having that many virgins might be because the virgins are getting their dresses made by Omar the tent maker?

[nincomp]

I wonder how long they will survive........... given they dont have much support left in iraq. perhaps the iraqis will put them to sleep permanantly after this murder of guard.

Posted by usadvisor101 at 03:46 PM : Dec 26, 2008
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Iraqis shouldn''t have arrested them in the first place

[usadvisor101]

I wonder how long they will survive........... given they dont have much support left in iraq. perhaps the iraqis will put them to sleep permanantly after this murder of guard.