Tikrit placed under curfew

SALAH EL-DIN / IraqiNews.com: Security authorities on Thursday imposed a curfew on Tikrit and waged crackdown operations after the escape of 16 prisoners of al-Qaeda group, according to a security source. “Police forces imposed a curfew and a vehicle ban on Tikrit to hunt down fugitives who escaped from the city’s prison,” the source told Iraqi News. “The forces managed to arrest one of the fugitives in Abu Ujail region, east of Tikrit,” he added. “A total of 16 prisoners of al-Qaeda group managed to escape from the anti-terrorism jail in central Tikrit, including five who were sentenced to death,” a police source said. Tikrit, the capital of Salah el-Din, lies 175 km north of Baghdad. SH (P) 1