16 al-Qaeda members escape from Iraqi jail

U.S. and Iraqi militaries have launched a massive manhunt for 16 al-Qaeda members who broke out of a jail in Tikrit, the former home town of deposed president Saddam Hussein. The jail break occurred Wednesday night when seventeen prisoners, five of them on death row, climbed out of a small bathroom window to freedom. Eight of the prisoners, including three on death row, have since been caught. Search parties, planes, and dogs are combing the area surrounding Tikrit, which is about 100 miles (170 kilometers) north of the capital Baghdad for the remainder of the escapees. U.S. military officials say they are providing aerial surveillance and search dogs for the manhunt. Road-blocks have been set up for all roads going to and from Tikrit. The border crossing with Syria is also under close surveillance.

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