Tribal fighters in support of the Iraqi Army carry their weapons as they take part in securing the area from militants of the Islamic State, in the Hamrin mountains in Diyala province, yesterday.Tribal fighters in support of the Iraqi Army carry their weapons as they take part in securing the area from militants of the Islamic State, in the Hamrin mountains in Diyala province, yesterday.

Gunmen yesterday attacked a prisoner convoy north of Baghdad, setting off a gunbattle with troops in which 52 prisoners and eight soldiers were killed, officials have said.

The dawn attack began with militants firing mortar rounds on Iraqi army bases in the town of Taji, where suspects were being held on terrorism charges, prompting officials to evacuate the facilities, fearing a jailbreak.

As the convoy travelled through a remote area, roadside bombs went off and militants opened fire.

The ensuing battle left 52 prisoners and eight soldiers dead, with another eight soldiers and seven prisoners wounded.

It was not immediately clear if the prisoners were killed by soldiers or militants.

The town of Taji is located some 20km north of the capital.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon arrived in Baghdad earlier, urging lawmakers to “find a common ground” so they can address the crisis sparked by the rapid advance of the Islamic State extremist group and allied Sunni militants across much of northern and western Iraq last month.

Eight soldiers and 52 prisoners were killed

At a press conference with embattled Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Ban said Iraq is facing an “existential threat,” but one that could be overcome if it forms a “thoroughly inclusive government.”

“I am deeply saddened by the senseless death of so many Iraqi people,” Ban said. He added that political leaders in Baghdad and the largely autonomous Kurdish region have a “clear responsibility” to work together to protect their citizens.

Islamic State militants have staged several jailbreaks, including a complex, military-style assault on two Baghdad-area prisons in July 2013 that freed more than 500 inmates. Apparently fearing a repeat of the incident, Shiite militiamen killed nearly four dozen Sunni detainees last month in the town of Baqouba northwest of Baghdad when the facility where they were being held came under attack, according to a report by Amnesty International.

The report documented a “pattern of extrajudicial executions” of mainly Sunni detainees by forces loyal to the Shiite-led government, both in Baqouba and in the north, basing its conclusions on interviews with survivors and relatives of those killed.

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