Al-Qaeda-linked prisoners escape US custody

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Four prisoners with links to al Qaeda being guarded by American troops escaped from a maximum-security prison in Baghdad and are still at large, US and Iraqi officials said.

The breakout from Karkh Prison, formerly called Camp Cropper,  on Thursday (local time) is an embarrassment for the US military, which has handed over control of all of the detention facilities it used to run to the Iraqi government. But at the request of the Iraqis, the US has retained custody over some of the most dangerous prisoners, including those with ties to terrorist groups or Saddam Hussein's former regime.

US troops found two detainees attempting to escape from the compound on Wednesday evening, the military said in a statement. When they conducted a sweep of the whole facility, they discovered that four other detainees were missing.

"US Forces-Iraq, Iraqi Security Forces and the MoJ (Ministry of Justice) are working to apprehend these individuals," said Maj. Gen. Jerry Cannon, head of American detainee operations in Iraq. "This event is under investigation."

There were no details on how the escape happened, who was to blame or who the people were that escaped.

- AP