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Iraq’s most wanted al-Qaeda militants still behind bars despite mass break-out from jail
By Sabah al-Khalidi
Azzaman, July 25, 2013
The number of al-Qaeda militants fleeing the Iraqi jail of Abu Ghraib is exaggerated, according a senior deputy from the ruling State of Law Coalition led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Ali al-Shallah described media reports of the violent mass break-out early this week as “inaccurate.”
He said there was a bright side to the massive attack on two Iraqi jails and the operation cannot be said to have been a total success for al-Qaeda militants fighting the government.
“The number of escaped inmates did not exceed 180 and many of them have been re-arrested,” he said.
He said the security forces guarding the jail in Taji north of Baghdad, which was the target of a simultaneous violent attack by al-Qaeda defeated the attackers, killing many of them and preventing any of the inmates from fleeing.
“The failure of the operation in Taji was overlooked by the media,” Shalla said, accusing some outlets of pursuing “a political agenda.”
Shallah said most dangerous al-Qaeda militants were held in Taji jail and not in Abu Ghraib, where two suicide bombers blasted their way into the compound with gunmen attacking with rocket-propelled grenades and mortar.
Some media reports put the number of the escaped inmates at more than 500 among them senior al-Qaeda members.
But Shallah disputed the reports.
He said: “Most dangerous terrorists are held in Taji. There is no one among those who escaped who has been sentenced to death.”
However, he admitted that storming Abu Ghraib compound was a serious security breach and urged the government to reconsider its security measures.
He said investigations have shown that some sentries and inmates assisted the attackers, making it possible for them to penetrate the compound and release prisoners.
The operation has shown the fragility of security in Iraq, a country whose security forces cannot protect its largest jail.
Conditions in Iraq are so precarious that it is the jailers who fear the jailed and not otherwise, Shallah said.
The insurgency in Iraq has gained momentum recently with Sunni Muslim groups mounting deadly attacks in major cities in their fight against the Shiite-led government.
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By Sabah al-Khalidi
Azzaman, July 25, 2013
The number of al-Qaeda militants fleeing the Iraqi jail of Abu Ghraib is exaggerated, according a senior deputy from the ruling State of Law Coalition led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Ali al-Shallah described media reports of the violent mass break-out early this week as “inaccurate.”
He said there was a bright side to the massive attack on two Iraqi jails and the operation cannot be said to have been a total success for al-Qaeda militants fighting the government.
“The number of escaped inmates did not exceed 180 and many of them have been re-arrested,” he said.
He said the security forces guarding the jail in Taji north of Baghdad, which was the target of a simultaneous violent attack by al-Qaeda defeated the attackers, killing many of them and preventing any of the inmates from fleeing.
“The failure of the operation in Taji was overlooked by the media,” Shalla said, accusing some outlets of pursuing “a political agenda.”
Shallah said most dangerous al-Qaeda militants were held in Taji jail and not in Abu Ghraib, where two suicide bombers blasted their way into the compound with gunmen attacking with rocket-propelled grenades and mortar.
Some media reports put the number of the escaped inmates at more than 500 among them senior al-Qaeda members.
But Shallah disputed the reports.
He said: “Most dangerous terrorists are held in Taji. There is no one among those who escaped who has been sentenced to death.”
However, he admitted that storming Abu Ghraib compound was a serious security breach and urged the government to reconsider its security measures.
He said investigations have shown that some sentries and inmates assisted the attackers, making it possible for them to penetrate the compound and release prisoners.
The operation has shown the fragility of security in Iraq, a country whose security forces cannot protect its largest jail.
Conditions in Iraq are so precarious that it is the jailers who fear the jailed and not otherwise, Shallah said.
The insurgency in Iraq has gained momentum recently with Sunni Muslim groups mounting deadly attacks in major cities in their fight against the Shiite-led government.
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