Dozens of prisoners have been killed and 40 others managed to escape in a bloody prison break north of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, Press TV reported.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry said six guards and 30 detainees were killed while 40 prisoners, including some facing terrorism charges, escaped from a prison in the town of Khalis in Diyala Province on Friday.
According to the Interior Ministry spokesman, the prison break started after prisoners seized a weapon from a guard and clashed with other guards.
"One of the prisoners seized a weapon from a guard. After killing him, the inmate headed up to the weapons storage and he seized more weapons," said Brigadier General Saad Maan.
Maan added that nine of those who escaped were held on terror charges while the rest were detained for common crimes.
Meanwhile, the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group, in a statement posted online, said it was responsible for the prison break.
The Takfiri terrorist group, with members from several Western countries, controls swathes of land in Iraq and Syria. Over the past months, the Iraqi army, backed by volunteer forces, has launched large-scale operations to flush the Takfiri terrorists out of the country.
In July 2013, hundreds of inmates escaped following militant attacks on two major prisons in Baghdad and the nearby town of Taji.