A daring prison break at Forsan police station in the city of Ramadi has left 10 police and six prisoners dead, and some 20 prisoners still on the run.

Early this morning, prisoners killed a police captain with a makeshift knife to get out of their cell, then killed the police chief. They made their way to the prison armory, sparking a two hour gun-battle which ended only when police from nearby stations arrived on the scene to quell the uprising.

They succeeded, but not before 40 prisoners, among them three top al-Qaeda in Iraq leaders, including local chief Imad Farhan (known to locals as Imad the killer), made their escape from the scene. Police say that of the 40, 20 have since been recaptured. The three leaders and the others have vanished into the city of Ramadi, which police have placed under curfew.

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