Prisoners freed in attack

INSURGENTS stormed a jail at dawn yesterday in the Sunni Muslim heartland north of Baghdad, killing at least 19 policemen and a courthouse guard.

Authorities said all 33 prisoners were freed and 10 attackers were killed in the battle.

In the capital, interim Prime Minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari told a powerful group of US senators that he believed Iraq’s most difficult political hurdles had been crossed and predicted a new government would be ready in the coming weeks.