Al-Qaida-linked inmates break out of Iraq prison

U.S. aircraft and Iraqi patrols combined in a massive manhunt Thursday after the escape of 16 prisoners–including five al-Qaida-linked inmates awaiting execution–who apparently crawled through a bathroom window in a makeshift jail on a former compound of Saddam Hussein. The jailbreak in Saddam's hometown Tikrit highlighted the struggles for Iraqi authorities to maintain control over an overcrowded prison system and absorb thousands of detainees turned over by U.S. forces as part of a broad security pact. At least two senior officials were fired after the late Wednesday escape.