Two die, 14 wounded in Iraq prison riot-police

13 Mar 2011 21:15

Source: reuters // Reuters


* Provincial governor says prisoners had planned breakout

* Police source says two dead, governor denies any deaths


(Updates death toll, adds governor)

TIKRIT, Iraq, March 13 (Reuters) - Two inmates were killed and 14 people were wounded in a prison riot on Sunday in Tikrit, the home city of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, a police source said.

Seven policemen and seven inmates were among the wounded in the riot, at the central prison for Salahuddin province, said the police source, under condition he not be named. Tikrit, 150 km (95 miles) north of Baghdad is the province's capital.

"We have negotiated with the inmates to evacuate the prison because the building is no longer usable. We are transferring the prisoners in groups of ten to a prison at one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces," the source said.

The provincial governor, Ahmed al-Jubouri, told al-Hurra Arabic-language satellite TV the prisoners had been planning a breakout and had begun rioting when inspectors discovered that they had sabotaged doors to make their escape.

"After the discovery of the broken doors, riots broke out inside the prison," the governor said. "They started burning the blankets and mattress, trying to create the opportunity to escape."

He said the situation was under control and denied that any prisoners had died. A curfew had been imposed on the city because of reports that bombs were going to be brought there as part of the escape plot, he said.

A Reuters correspondent at the scene said a large number of personnel from Iraqi security forces had surrounded the prison. (Reporting by Sabah al-Bazee; Writing by Peter Graff; Editing by Matthew Jones)

===

Car bomb hits Iraqi army HQ, kills eight
14 Mar 2011 09:54

Source: reuters // Reuters


* Iraq continues to battle insurgency in Diyala

* Attacks undermine security forces before U.S. withdrawal

(Updates casualty figures, adds quotes, details)

By Muhanad Mohammed

BAGHDAD, March 14 (Reuters) - A car bomb at an Iraqi army unit in volatile Diyala province killed at least eight soldiers, officials said on Monday, as the Iraqi government continues to battle a stubborn insurgency.

Suspected Sunni insurgents and Shi'ite militia have stepped up assaults in recent months on Iraqi policemen and soldiers, seeking to undermine faith in the security forces before a full U.S. military withdrawal by the end of this year.

The blast took place near an army headquarters in Kanaan, 70 km (45 miles) northeast of Baghdad, killing eight soldiers and wounding 30, Diyala's governor Abdul-Nassir al-Mahdawi said.

Security forces foiled a second attack and defused a car bomb parked at the scene, Mahdawi said.

"The explosion was unusual and unprecedented, which left a two-metre-wide and three-metre-depth crater in the ground," said the governor. "So far the exact reason for the explosion has not been officially confirmed, but according to initial investigations it was not a suicide bomber."

A spokeswoman for the governor, Samira al-Shibli, said the bomb was in a parked car.

Officials said an army building had been destroyed and other buildings were damaged by the blast.

Muthana al-Timimi, head of the security committee of the Diyala provincial council, gave the casualty figures as 11 dead and 13 wounded. He said the blast was caused by a suicide bomber who blew up a booby-trapped truck near the army headquarters, which is near other government buildings.

Diyala is one of few remaining provinces where large numbers of al Qaeda and other Sunni insurgents still battle Iraqi security forces. A volatile mix of minority Kurds, majority Shi'ites and Sunnis has made it difficult to bring peace there.

Overall violence has fallen sharply in Iraq since the height of sectarian carnage in 2006-07, but killings and bombings remain common, raising questions about local security forces' ability to keep Iraqis safe after U.S. troops leave. (Additional reporting by Waleed Ibrahim and Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Rania El Gamal; Editing by Peter Graff)