Iraq: 35 inmates tunnel out, most recaptured

Prison breaks cast doubt on whether Iraqi security forces are ready to protect the nation when US troops leave.

Baghdad: An Iraqi security official says 35 terror suspects tunnelled their way out of a detention facility and most were quickly recaptured.

The head of the security committee on the provincial council, Abdul-Raheem al-Shimmary, said 21 of the detainees were recaptured soon after Thursday`s dawn escape in northern Iraq, leaving 14 at large.

The detainees were being held at a Ministry of Interior facility on terrorism related charges.

Al-Shimmary said they escaped through a 50-meter (160-foot) tunnel.

Prison breaks are not uncommon in Iraq, casting doubt on whether Iraqi security forces are ready to protect the nation when US troops leave.

Bureau Report