16 Killed in Clashes at Iraqi Detention Center

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Source: Associated Press

BAGHDAD (AP) — Detainees at an Iraqi detention facility tried to overpower their guards during a prison break Sunday morning in a violent clash that left 16 people dead, including six police officers, officials said.

The melee at the Ministry of Interior's Baghdad compound raises questions about how a group of detainees at what is supposed to be one of the most secure facilities in the country managed to launch such a fierce attack.

The detainees, some of whom are accused of belonging to al-Qaida in Iraq, were being moved between buildings at the sprawling ministry compound in eastern Baghdad when some of the detainees tried to overpower the police and take away their weapons, said a ministry official on the scene. Initial reports suggest the detainees were not shackled or restrained.

He said about 20 to 25 prisoners were being moved when the clash broke out. They managed to seize weapons from some of the guards and open fire.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/05/07/world/middleeast/AP-ML-Iraq.html