Fighting among inmates and security officers at a Baghdad prison left 18 dead on Sunday, media reports say. A top counterterrorism official and an al-Qaeda leader were killed in the battle.
The fighting broke out at the Interior Ministry jail, which houses suspected terrorists, after a prisoner stole a gun from a guard and killed several officers, reported the Reuters. Another inmate got involved in the battle after he grabbed a gun from another guard.
No one was able to escape. “We must not allow such setbacks to happen in the security field,” Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said, according to the news agency.
The top al-Qaeda leader that was killed was Abu Huthaifa al-Battawi, who is suspected of masterminding a bombing that killed 68 at the Our Lady of Salvation church.
U.S. military forces are slated to exit the country by this December and will turn the operations over to Iraqi troops. However, Sunday’s security breach raises more doubt that it will be effective.
“The measures used by Iraqi authorities to control and guard the prisons are still weak and inefficient, and shortcomings need to be fixed immediately,” Baghdad political analyst Hadi Jalo told The Associated Press. “This is another indication that we should still be worried about the performance and capabilities of our security forces after the U.S. withdrawal.”
Just over a month ago, a group of gunmen took over an Iraqi council building and killed more than 65 people during a tense hostage situation. Four members of the Salaheddin Provincial Council were killed in the incident.
The fighting broke out at the Interior Ministry jail, which houses suspected terrorists, after a prisoner stole a gun from a guard and killed several officers, reported the Reuters. Another inmate got involved in the battle after he grabbed a gun from another guard.
No one was able to escape. “We must not allow such setbacks to happen in the security field,” Iraq’s Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said, according to the news agency.
The top al-Qaeda leader that was killed was Abu Huthaifa al-Battawi, who is suspected of masterminding a bombing that killed 68 at the Our Lady of Salvation church.
U.S. military forces are slated to exit the country by this December and will turn the operations over to Iraqi troops. However, Sunday’s security breach raises more doubt that it will be effective.
“The measures used by Iraqi authorities to control and guard the prisons are still weak and inefficient, and shortcomings need to be fixed immediately,” Baghdad political analyst Hadi Jalo told The Associated Press. “This is another indication that we should still be worried about the performance and capabilities of our security forces after the U.S. withdrawal.”
Just over a month ago, a group of gunmen took over an Iraqi council building and killed more than 65 people during a tense hostage situation. Four members of the Salaheddin Provincial Council were killed in the incident.
