SULAIMANIYAH, Kurdistan-Iraq, May
14, 2006 (AFP) - Five prisoners who escaped from a high-security
prison in northern Iraq jointly run with the US-led coalition have
been recaptured by Kurdish forces, a Kurdish security official told
AFP.
The five Sunni Arabs, who escaped from Fort Suse prison near
Sulaimaniyah on Tuesday in the first successful breakout from a
coalition detention centre, were picked up in a joint operation by
security forces and peshmerga militiamen, the official said.
Four of the escapees were detained near Sulaimaniyah while the fifth
was caught by militiamen near the town of Chamchamal further south.
Pictures of the escapees had been distributed throughout the area
and coalition and Iraqi forces had stepped up patrols and
checkpoints.
Security officials blamed the breakout on the negligence of Kurdish
guards and five have been detained for questioning.
US military officials were quick to describe the escape as a freak
occurrence and not an indication of problems with the security of
detention facilities.
There are approximately 14,000 detainees held in coalition detention
facilities around Iraq, including Camp Bucca near the Kuwait border,
Abu Ghraib near Baghdad and Fort Suse, where the most dangerous
detainees are held.
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