Iraqi ministry claims reports of Sulaimani prison break "fabricated"

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Ministry of Justice on Thursday rejected recent media reports describing the escape of a number of prisoners, with Islamic State (IS) members purported to be among them, from a jail located in the Kurdistan Region.

Although the Souse Correctional Facility is within the region's borders in the province of Sulaimani, it is run by, and under the jurisdiction of, the central government.

The detention center houses scores of convicted criminals and suspected terrorists, among them a large number of those found guilty of being prominent IS members, captured during the three-year war with the jihadi group.

According to media reports, 21 prisoners fled the heavily fortified facility. Of those who escaped, 16 are said to have been recaptured while the rest remain the target of a search still underway.

The Ministry of Justice claimed instead that the prison was under the constant and strict supervision of their security forces and that no escapes had indeed occurred.

One report by a Sulaimani-based media outlet said that local security (Asayish) had arrested ten of the fugitives in the Bazian area located just outside of the city and six others apprehended within the city.

The remaining escapees "are still near the Delezha area and there are ongoing search campaigns to arrest them," a security source was quoted as saying.

The ministry, however, said the reports were "fabricated" and called on the outlets that published them to "be credible in the transmission of information, especially in prison related cases, because they are detrimental to the security of the country in general."

An Iraqi news agency reported that the incident took place a few days ago, but the Iraqi authorities remained silent on the issue to avoid "confusing" the public. 

Editing by John J. Catherine