2015 Al Khalis prison break

Terrorist incident in Iraq On 8 May 2015, a prison break occurred in the Iraqi town of Al Khalis. More than fifty prisoners escaped in the break, including nine who had been facing terrorism charges. An estimated fifty other prisoners and twelve police officers died in the prison break. Background Al Khalis is a town located in Diyala province, 50 mi km north of Baghdad. The town's prison held about 300 people convicted on terror charges.Isis claims responsibility for major Iraq prison break leaving 62 inmates and police killed The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/over-60-slaughtered-in-isis-prison-break-10239113.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/over-60-slaughtered-in-isis-prison-break-10239113.html 2022-05-01 subscription 10 May 2015 10 May 2015 The area has seen significant violence in recent years as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has battled the Iraqi military for control of the region. Since June 2014, three prison breaks have occurred in Diyala. Cause There are two accounts of what took place during the break. According to official reports, a riot broke out at the prison. A prisoner then escaped after seizing weapons from the guards who intervened to stop the riot.https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32671524 'Dozens dead' and many escape in Iraq prison break BBC News 9 May 2015 10 May 2015 The prisoners then captured the prison's armory, which they used to escape. A police officer eyewitness backed this account of events. Brigadier General Saad Maan Ibrahim also attributed the jailbreak to an internal riot. ISIS, however, claimed the prison break was a coordinated effort between its members on the outside and the inside. Messages posted on ISIS social media said that improvised bombs blew up military and security vehicles near the prison while prisoners on the inside took control of the guard's weapon stock.http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/09/middleeast/iraq-violence/ 40 prisoners escape Iraq prison after deadly clashes with guards CNN 9 May 2015 10 May 2015 Botelho, Greg According to Amaq News Agency, which supports ISIL, ISIL militants broke into the prison with the help of explosives, with the aim of freeing inmates and accessing the prison's weapons stores.http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/05/150509095103216.html Scores killed after Iraq prison break Al Jazeera 10 May 2015 10 May 2015 Amaq also stated that there were thirty ISIS members among those who escaped, and that about sixty militants were killed by Shi'ite militiamen in ensuing clashes. Oudi Al-Khadran, the mayor of Al Khalis, blamed ISIS for "the killings and the release of ISIS prisoners." Colonel Ahmed al-Timimi, head of the Diyala province security force, also attributed the break to ISIS. Official reports said no external attack had occurred on the prison, although some local sources reported seeing ISIS vehicles attempting to storm it. Aftermath More than fifty prisoners escaped in the prison break. Of those, nine were being held on terrorism charges and the rest were common criminals, according to official reports. ISIS, however, claimed to have freed "more than 30" militants. An estimated fifty prisoners and twelve police officers died in the fighting.http://in.reuters.com/article/iraq-security-idINKBN0NU07B20150510 Fifty inmates and 12 police killed in Iraq prison break - officials Reuters 10 May 2015 10 May 2015September 2024 medicmedic A curfew has been imposed in Al Khalis, and houses in the area are being searched for suspects. At the same time as the prison break, a series of suicide attacks in Diyala killed at least 22 people. It is unclear if the attacks, which targeted Shia places of worship, were related to the break. References 30em Iraq Category:2015 mass murders Category:Prison escapes in Asia Category:2015 murders in Iraq Category:Islamic State terrorist incidents in Iraq Category:2010s in Diyala Governorate Category:May 2015 in Iraq Category:21st-century mass murders in Iraq Category:Islamic terrorist incidents in 2015 Category:Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2015