Fifty inmates and 12 policemen were killed when a riot erupted and dozens escaped from an Iraqi prison holding hundreds of people jailed for acts of terrorism, security and police officials said on Saturday.

Fifty inmates and 12 policemen were killed when a riot erupted and dozens escaped from an Iraqi prison holding hundreds of people jailed for acts of terrorism, security and police officials said on Saturday.

The deaths occurred on site at the Al-Khalis prison, about 50 miles northeast of Baghdad, and during a manhunt for the fugitive convicts overnight, said the officials.

They said 14 policemen were wounded in the latest violence to highlight the multiple security challenges facing Iraq, which is battling an insurgency from hardline militant group ISIS.

The officials said Al-Khalis held about 300 people convicted of terrorism charges. ISIS linked to Islamic State, which controls large parts of Iraq and Syria and which the Iraqi military is fighting to dislodge.

It was not clear if any high-profile prisoners were held at Al-Khalis, the head of Diyala's security committee, Seyyid Sadiq al-Husseini, said.

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