Hundreds escape in deadly Iraq prison raids.

Hundreds escape in deadly Iraq prison raids.

BAGHDAD | 22 Jul 2013 ::  Hundreds of Iraqi inmates escaped after insurgents armed with mortars and machines guns launched coordinated late-night assaults on two high-security prisons, sparking gun battles that left dozens of people dead, officials said Monday. 

In a separate attack in northern Iraq, a suicide car bomber targeted an army convoy on Monday, killing 13 people, officials said. 

The jailbreaks targeted prisons in Taji and Abu Ghraib, which are home to thousands of prisoners including convicted al-Qaida militants. Iraq has seen a surge of violence since April, and the assaults on the prison laid bare the degree to which security has eroded in the country in recent months. 

Three lawmakers on the parliament's security and defense committee said prisoners were able to escape from Abu Ghraib during the attack. 

Lawmakers Hakim al-Zamili and Shawan Mohammed Taha each said that about 500 prisoners managed to escape and that a manhunt is under way, although al-Zamili said many of them have since been captured or killed. 

"This big security failure shows that the top security commanders have failed to sort out any solutions for the ongoing security deterioration," Taha said. "The terrorists, not the security forces, are now taking the initiative." 

Another lawmaker, Iskandar Witwit, confirmed that some prisoners escaped but did not say how many. 

Earlier, interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan Ibrahim said that no prisoners had escaped. 

Justice ministry spokesman Wissam al-Firaiji said a total of 21 prisoners were killed and another 25 wounded during the fighting at both facilities. He was unable to confirm reports that prisoners had escaped, saying authorities were still counting the inmates. (Courtesy:The Times of India)