Some 51 prisoners and nine guards were killed and 16 policemen wounded when unknown gunmen ambushed the security convoy escorting a prison vehicle from Al-Hout jail in Al-Taji city, some 20 kilometers north Baghdad to the capital city on Thursday, according to a police source.
The suicide attackers used explosive charges and belts, mortars and assault rifles.
The multiple attacks began with a roadside bomb that went off near Al-Taji institute this morning, and then two suicide attackers blew up their explosive belts.
The dead included a police lieutenant and wounded include four officers and 12 secret agents, a local police officer said under anonymity.
The Ministry of Interior admitted the attack but reported a different tally of casualties.
It said in a statement that a security convoy escorting 44 prisoners came under a terrorist attack that resulted in a gun battle.
The attack claimed the lives of the 44 prisoners and two attackers, and wounded a number of security personnel, according to the statement.
It added that a team of investigators has been set up to probe the incident.