Dozens killed as 40 inmates escape in Iraq prison break, IS Takes Credit

FOX, BBC

Brig. Gen. Saad Maan Ibrahim, the Interior Ministry spokesman, put the death toll at 36, including six police officers and 30 prisoners, and said 40 inmates escaped.

Ibrahim told The Associated Press that a fight broke out among the inmates of the prison and when guards went to investigate, they were overpowered and had their weapons taken. Some of those who escaped were wanted on terrorism charges, Ibrahim added. He said security forces had cordoned off the area and were hunting for the escaped inmates.

The town of Khalis is located about 50 miles north of Baghdad.

In a statement carried on militant websites, the local chapter of the Islamic State group claimed a completely different account of the incident, describing it as a coordinated operation involving the use of multiple explosives outside the prison. The statement claimed that 30 Islamic State members were among those who escaped.

Ibrahim had originally denied there was any external force involved and he did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the militants' version of events.

Well, well, if we are to believe the Brigadier General than these guards fell for the oldest con in prison history. Now I would not put it past Daesh to simply take credit in an effort to boost morale for their group and to sucker would be recruits into believing they can pull off some crazy ish. However, I just cannot imagine that they would have been able to escape if there was no coordinated logistical support from the outside.

Its no 2013 Abu Ghraib prison break, but a setback for Iraqi stability nonetheless.