Al-Qaeda Suspects Escape Iraqi Prison

Iraqi officials were quoted today as saying a dozen suspected Al-Qaeda militants have escaped from a prison in the southern city of Al-Basrah.

Iraqi state television said both the army and the police were searching for the fugitives.

It was not immediately clear how they managed to escape from the detention center, housed in one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces.

The men were reportedly accused over a November car bomb attack in Al-Basrah that left 10 people dead but were yet to stand trial.

compiled from agency reports